The US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced yesterday that 85 million Nigerians do not have access to electricity. To address this issue, USAID has mobilized approximately $4.5 million for both on-grid and off-grid power solutions in the country.
Melissa Jones, Mission Director for USAID, disclosed this at a conference in Lagos organized by Chapel Hill Denham in collaboration with USAID, Prosper Africa, and Power Africa. Jones emphasized the critical role of the private sector in financing infrastructure development.
According to the Vanguard, the conference was attended by domestic investors and private sector companies with over N20 trillion in institutional capital and investment expertise in power, renewable energy, agriculture, and water, sanitation, and hygiene—sectors essential for economic growth.
“With over 85 million citizens lacking access to electricity, Nigeria has the highest number of people living without electrical power in the world. This lack of access directly impacts Nigeria’s ability to achieve meaningful growth as a lack of reliable electricity limits productivity and restricts economic expansion,” Jones stated.
Jones highlighted that USAID, through the Power Africa and Prosper Africa initiatives and in partnership with Chapel Hill Denham, is tackling these challenges by mobilizing investment in Nigeria’s electricity supply industry. So far, the partnership has mobilized N245 billion in institutional capital for priority infrastructure projects across Nigeria, including N33 billion for renewable energy projects aimed at providing reliable clean energy to low-income consumers.
Bolaji Balogun, Chief Executive Officer of Chapel Hill Denham, expressed satisfaction with the partnership with the US government to advance the goals of the Prosper Africa and Power Africa initiatives. “Investing in infrastructure is pivotal to Nigeria’s development, accelerating the attainment of sustainable development goals, enabling sustainable prosperity, and creating jobs and opportunities for Nigerians,” Balogun said.
He added, “USAID and Chapel Hill Denham endeavour to leverage the showcased infrastructure innovations to facilitate real infrastructure transactions and attract investment into the Nigerian economy, thereby generating substantial developmental impact.”
