The Nigerian Grid crisis
In the last year, Nigeria has become notorious for its National Grid collapses, with the Nigerian national grid falling apart a whooping 12 times by the end of 2024. This detrimental infrastructure activity has left millions without electricity and has stalled economic progress for far too long.
For the third largest, most populated country in Africa, this should not be the case, especially when several of the Nigerian neighboring countries have managed to stabilize their power systems. Luckily, it is through these close-by stabilized systems that valuable lessons for Nigeria have been provided, and through them perhaps the country can pick up a few strategies to ensure future infrastructural stability.
From proactive policies to technological investments, their strategies highlight the ways to achieving a more reliable energy system.
South Africa: The Power of Renewable Energy
In 2009, South Africa made the then surprising decision to integrate renewable energy into their grid system. and introducing the Renewable Energy Feed in Tariff (REFIT).
A lot of good, sustainable change has happened since then, and with the help of its Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), the country has added thousands of megawatts of clean energy to the grid. Solar and wind farms reduce reliance on aging coal plants and provide a buffer during peak demand.
Nigeria could learn from this by replicating this through incentivizing private investment in renewables. This will be particularly effective in regions with high solar potential like the northern states.
Ghana: Preemptive Maintenance and Infrastructure Upgrades
Where SA turned to a different power source, Ghana simply buckled down and put that effort into checking their current power source. Ghana’s Electricity Company focuses heavily on preemptive maintenance and infrastructure upgrades. By investing in modern transmission lines and prioritizing equipment servicing, Ghana has reduced the girds capacity to fall apart.
The Nigerian government can learn to allocate resources for updating aging infrastructure. Additionally, regular maintenance schedules could prevent frequent grid failures.
Kenya: Smart Grids and Real-Time Monitoring
Now we delve into the realm of smart technology with Kenya. This country is a frontrunner for adopting smart grid technology. By installing smart meters and deploying IoT sensors across the grid, Kenya Power is able to monitor and manage energy distribution in real time, reducing outages and quickly addressing problems even before the arise sometimes.
For Nigerians, embracing smart grid technologies could help detect and isolate faults before they snowball into full-blown collapses.
Rwanda: Regional Energy Collaboration
While some countries focus on how much they can evolve their own systems, there are others that have taken to partnering with neighboring countries, and Rwanda in primary amongst them.
Rwanda has embraced regional energy sharing through partnerships with neighboring countries like Uganda and Kenya. This collaboration ensures a steady supply of electricity and minimizes the impact of localized grid issues.
Nigeria could learn from this. Already they have ties within the West African Power Pool (WAPP), so all they’d need to do is strengthen those bonds. This will motivate other countries to share resources and help stabilize the Nigerian supply during crises.
Ethiopia: Prioritizing Hydropower
Finally, some countries, like Ethiopia, have learnt to harness the power of an abundant and simply resource: water.
Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam is a testament to its focus on hydropower, providing a reliable and renewable energy source that ensures the country’s grid stability.
The lesson for Nigeria here is glaring. With its abundant water resources, Nigeria could invest in small and large-scale hydropower projects to diversify energy sources.
The Nigerian Take-away
While Nigeria faces unique challenges, these examples from neighboring African nations provide actionable insights. By investing in renewables, upgrading infrastructure, embracing smart technology, fostering regional collaboration, and diversifying energy sources, Nigeria can build a resilient power system.
To learn more about the opportunities for Nigeria to protect and strengthen its National gird, read this article.
