Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are discussing plans to increase Nigeria’s electricity generation capacity by around 5,000 megawatts (MW), according to Nigeria’s Federal Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe.
Speaking to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) on the sidelines of Middle East Energy 2026, Tegbe said the two countries are exploring several areas of cooperation in the power sector. These include financing, solar energy development, technical expertise and the exchange of experience.
Tegbe said solar power is one of the most important areas of cooperation because both Nigeria and the UAE have strong solar resources and high levels of solar irradiation. Nigeria is exchanging information and ideas with the UAE and is looking to benefit from its experience in developing large-scale energy projects.
The minister stressed that the partnership goes beyond financial support. According to him, Nigeria and the UAE are also sharing technical knowledge, lessons learned and ideas that could help improve Nigeria’s electricity sector.
Nigeria currently has an installed electricity generation capacity of 13,625 MW. However, Tegbe said only around 5,000 MW is transmitted through the national grid, while about 4,000 MW is actually delivered to consumers. The government is therefore working on reforms to improve the reliability and efficiency of the electricity system.
A key part of the reform programme involves upgrading Nigeria’s ageing power infrastructure. Some sections of the national grid are around 50 years old and require replacement or rehabilitation. The government is also working to strengthen the transmission network and rehabilitate transmission lines so they can carry higher electricity loads in the future.
The reforms also aim to reduce aggregate technical, commercial and collection (ATC&C) losses. These include technical losses within the electricity network and commercial losses linked partly to tariff differences.
Tegbe said Nigeria is also moving away from a highly centralised electricity system that depends heavily on the federal national grid. Recent legislation has given state governments greater authority to generate and distribute electricity within their jurisdictions.
The decentralisation is expected to encourage more investment in local power projects and provide states with greater flexibility to address their electricity needs.
The proposed 5,000 MW increase in generation capacity, supported by cooperation with the UAE, could therefore play an important role in Nigeria’s efforts to expand electricity supply, strengthen the grid and improve access to reliable power.
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