Is lack of context-sensitive energy strategy hampering Nigeria’s electricity systems?

The electricity sector in West Africa is fast-growing. In the last decade, around eleven gigawatts of installed capacity were added. Nevertheless, in Nigeria, around 85 million people lack access to the most basic electricity source.

Low electrification worsens socio-economic inequalities such as gender gaps and the divide between rural-urban. Moreover, a lack of access to electricity can generally hinder economic growth.

Conversely, the energy sector has a very high potential for creating jobs and is a driver for industrialisation. Thus, the quality of life of many Nigerians could be improved through enhanced energy infrastructure.

Energy is also needed for other important supply fields such as the health sector. For example, some vaccines cannot reach people if there are no refrigerators or freezers to store the serums properly. Another aspect related to electricity access in Nigeria is climate change. This is because most of the electricity generation in West Africa is based on fossil fuels and an increased generation could threaten future life. 

In contrast, a generation based on renewable energy could diminish structural dependency since renewable energy sources can be arranged in a less centralised manner. After analysing the relevant factors that might slow down the development of the emerging electricity system in Nigeria, possible solutions for higher electrification rates could be developed.

In highlighting what impedes wider electricity access in Nigeria, Western science approaches are not fully applicable to understanding the development of the Nigerian electricity system. They present only an insufficient framework as they were not developed for emerging economies with different resources and needs than industrial countries.

That said, Western science approaches could help explain the importance of government’s roles in setting up a stable legal framework to create an attractive environment for the high investments needed for the energy infrastructure. Investments in such infrastructure in Nigeria is needed since current energy generation level is insufficient, and the efficiency and quality of the grids are very low. 

Nevertheless, the attraction of these long-term investments is only a fraction of the aspects that might influence Nigeria’s electricity system development. Consequently, the weighting of important factors in a developing country context could also differ from the weighting in industrial countries.

Considering potential differences, postcolonial studies and anthropology of development reveal the significance of the development of structures that enable the creation of more suitable frameworks and technological solutions for Nigeria by producing knowledge within the country itself. 

Western countries may have prevented the Nigerian electricity system from flourishing by applying inappropriate strategies which were based on the belief that the systems which work for Europe would function for African countries as well. History and culture show unneglectable differences between Nigeria and industrial countries because British colonialism did not support a sustainable economy in Nigeria and left the country in instability. For these reasons, Nigeria has a harder initial position than richer countries to support the development of technology.

In addition, culture plays a big role in Nigeria in the context of energy technology, and cultural preferences can differ in different regions which might also influence the development of today’s electricity system. Culture might also influence appropriate strategies for innovation. 

The Nigerian government has developed strategies that address the issue of electricity access, but the strategies seem not to be sufficient as there has been no significant improvement over the last 10 years. Improvements in the energy supply are necessary because consumers’ needs are currently not met in both quantitative and qualitative terms. While the privatisation of the energy sector is incomplete, the process has not brought enough improvements to fix and expand Nigeria’s energy infrastructure.

Further potential for improvements in the energy supply lies in off-grid solutions which could create more of the needed capacity. Beyond that, the Economic Community of West African States and the Nigerian government declared meaningful goals to support wider electricity access, but to assess the likelihood of achieving these goals, an analysis of implementation steps, such as in Nigeria’s legal framework, is needed.

Despite the government’s efforts to create and enhance the legal framework for the energy sector, the laws need further revisions. Contradictions within the legal framework do not create an attractive environment for investors, and the laws do not entail production and innovation capability development by focusing on green transformation to attract direct investments in local firms and organisations.

Moreover, security challenges interfere with a reliable electricity supply and the mobilisation of resources. As members of the legislature in Nigeria are alleged to misuse powers, corruption and a lack of enforcement of laws are not supportive factors for the emerging electricity system. 

Beyond the government and its legislative competencies, other stakeholders, such as scientific communities, citizens, companies, international financing institutions and development organisations influence the energy sector. The government can support scientific communities, should consider citizens needs and drive private and public investment in the Nigerian energy infrastructure by imposing appropriate laws and building relevant structures.

International organisations and private companies can also support the implementation of better electricity access. However, to achieve sustainable improvement, particularly the Nigerian government needs to pay attention to its citizens’ needs when negotiating with other actors.

For example, international organisations can give valuable support for the creation of universal electricity access, but they also follow foreign national interests which are not necessarily in alignment with those of the Nigerian people. In this context, a lack of institutional arrangement and conflicting interests of foreign stakeholders, such as geopolitical determinations, might be another hindering aspect to the further development of the electricity system.

Further research on the issue of electricity access in Nigeria should concentrate on more holistic frameworks suitable for emerging economies to provide better guidance. Additional cultural analyses of the variation of energy source preferences might help to better understand the needs of Nigeria’s citizens. Finally, investigations would be valuable to evaluate how Nigeria could best leave the cycle of poverty that limits investments in the energy infrastructure.

This piece is part of Sarah Wolters’ MSc research placement partnership between Dataphyte and the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Edinburgh.