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President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to providing reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity to its citizens by 2030.
Tinubu made the declaration as he concluded his participation in the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where he joined other African leaders to address the continent’s energy access challenges.
This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy), Bayo Onanuga, on Tuesday.
The two-day summit, hosted by the Tanzanian government in collaboration with the African Union, African Development Bank, and the World Bank Group, culminated in the adoption of the Dar es Salaam Declaration.
The declaration sets a collective target for African nations to provide electricity to 300 million people by 2030.
In his speech, delivered by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, Tinubu expressed Nigeria’s commitment to this goal, stressing that energy access would remain a top priority for his administration.
He called for a united, collaborative effort among African nations, development partners, and private sector stakeholders to ensure that all Africans have access to electricity in the next decade.
“Let us work together to create a brighter future for our citizens, where every African has access to reliable and affordable energy, where our industries thrive, and our economies grow,” Tinubu said.
The President seized the opportunity to highlight the strides Nigeria has made in improving its energy access, with the support of international partners.
He outlined several ongoing projects, including the $1.1 billion investment by AfDB that will provide electricity to 5 million Nigerians by 2026.
He also noted the $200 million Nigeria Electrification Project, aimed at electrifying 500,000 people by the end of 2025, and the planned investments in the Nigeria Desert to Power programme and the Nigeria-Grid Battery Energy Storage System.
“These initiatives represent our commitment to improving electricity access for our citizens, especially those in underserved areas. We are making tangible progress towards achieving our goal of providing electricity for all by 2030,” Tinubu said.
The President also emphasized Nigeria’s push towards renewable energy, highlighting the government’s efforts to establish an electric vehicle charging infrastructure powered by renewable energy.
This move, he said, is part of Nigeria’s broader commitment to sustainable energy solutions and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
“Nigeria’s energy sector is growing, and we are incentivizing private sector investments to expand renewable energy, improve energy efficiency, and bring electricity to those who need it the most,” he said.
Tinubu also underscored the importance of regional cooperation in achieving the energy access goal.
He pointed to the collaboration between the Nigerian government and key international development partners like AfDB, the World Bank, and the IFC, which have committed billions in funding for energy projects in Nigeria.
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