Power Sector: World Bank Approves $750m For Nigeria

By Olamilekan Alani

In order to improve the power supply the World Bank has approved a 750 million dollars International Development Association (IDA) credit for Nigeria’s Power Sector Recovery Operation (PSRO)

The Bank, in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, said that the target was to also achieve financial and fiscal sustainability and enhance accountability in Nigeria’s power sector.

It explained that about 47 per cent of Nigerians did not have access to grid electricity and those who had access, faced regular power cuts.

According to the bank, the economic cost of power shortages in Nigeria is estimated at around 28 billion dollars, which is equivalent to two per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

It stated that getting access to electricity was one of the major constraints for the private sector according to the Ease of Doing Business report.

It added that improving power sector performance, particularly in the non-oil sectors of manufacturing and services, would  be central to unlocking economic growth post COVID-19.

The statement quoted Shubham Chaudhuri, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, as saying “lack of reliable power has stifled economic activity and private investment and job creation.

”This is ultimately what is needed to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.

“The objective of this operation is to help turn around the power sector and set it on a fiscally sustainable path. This is particularly urgent at a time when the government needs all the fiscal resources it can marshal to help protect lives and livelihoods amid the COVID-19 pandemic”.