ECOWAS to invest $35bn in Nigeria’s power
President of the Economic Community Of West African States’( ECOWAS) Commission, Marcel de Souza, has urged international communities, investors and experts in the energy sector to give priority to investing in Nigeria’s power sector, as this would certainly contribute to improving access to electricity in the entire sub-region,
The President made this appeal at the opening session of the ongoing sixth annual Powering Africa: Nigeria 2017 conference with the theme: “Power Sector Recovery Programme: Recapitalising Nigeria’s Energy Sector.”
He said that despite the challenges being encountered in the power sector, Nigeria is expected to meet 50 per cent energy needs in Niger and Benin Republics, adding that Nigeria is the major provider of natural gas to other countries of the region through the West African gas pipeline.
De Souza, who was represented by the Commissioner for Energy and Mines, ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Morlaye Bangoura, urged participants to focus on the Nigerian power sector, understand the challenges and proffer solutions in line with the expectations of Nigeria and ECOWAS in the area of energy.
He also disclosed that the Commission plans an investment of $35bn in electricity, including grid, solar and other renewable energy sources and infrastructure projects from now till 2025.
