Bridging the Power Gap: International Strategies and Nigeria’s Quest for Electricity Reform

Abstract

Electricity reform remains central to Nigeria’s developmental trajectory, yet persistent supply deficits continue to undermine economic productivity, social welfare, and institutional efficiency. Despite an installed generation capacity exceeding 13,000 MW, effective electricity output remains severely constrained, reflecting deep-rooted infrastructural, institutional, and political economy challenges. In response, Nigeria has increasingly relied on international strategies, including bilateral energy agreements and multilateral initiatives such as the World Bank–led Power Sector Recovery Program, Power Africa, Sustainable Energy for All, and recent large-scale investment frameworks. This study critically examines the extent to which these international engagements have contributed to meaningful electricity sector reform in Nigeria between 2015 and 2024. Anchored in Institutional Theory, the Political Economy of Reform, and Multi-Level Governance Theory, the paper adopts a qualitative-dominant mixed-methods design, drawing exclusively on secondary data from regulatory agencies, multilateral institutions, policy think tanks, and credible media sources. Findings indicate that while international partnerships have expanded electricity access, particularly in urban areas, and mobilized substantial financial and technical support, they have not translated into commensurate improvements in generation efficiency, grid stability, or system reliability. Persistent transmission losses, recurrent grid collapses, rising tariffs, and weak institutional coordination continue to dilute reform outcomes. The study argues that international strategies function largely as catalytic interventions whose effectiveness is contingent on domestic institutional coherence, political commitment, and governance alignment. It concludes that Nigeria’s electricity challenge is less a deficit of global support than a failure of reform translation, underscoring the need to recalibrate international engagement toward deeper institutional and political economy transformation.