Market News
Nigeria has more people without electricity than any other country - THE ECONOMIST
Fixing that will be fiendishly difficult
Before George Etomi went to university in 1972, his home in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, had near-constant power. When he returned from studying abroad a few years later, power cuts had become frequent. By 1984, Mr Etomi needed a fuel-powered generator to open his law firm. Today roaring generators provide the soundtrack to urban Nigerian life. They produce more than twice as much power as Nigerians get from the grid.
Decades of underinvestment in Nigeria’s power supply mean it has not kept pace with the country’s growth. More than 90m of its 230m people live without access to electricity, the highest number in any country. Deep dysfunction in the sector and a gaping lack of funds mean things are unlikely to improve soon.
