Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has secured commitments from Chinese power engineering firms and financial institutions to accelerate the delivery of Presidential Power Initiative, PPI projects and expand Chinese investment across Nigeria’s electricity value chain.
The commitments were reached during high level engagements in Beijing as part of the ongoing Nigeria China power sector mission, with Tegbe pushing partners to move beyond conventional engineering, procurement and construction contracts to co investment in generation, transmission, hydropower and related industrial projects.
At meetings with Sinomach Group and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), major contractors involved in Nigeria’s generation and transmission programme, Tegbe pressed for firm and accelerated completion schedules for ongoing PPI projects.
Under the proposed expanded partnership model, Chinese companies would provide capital, technology and technical expertise alongside their construction roles, with the aim of speeding up project completion and increasing transmission capacity.
Tegbe also engaged the China National Electric Engineering Corporation (CNEEC) on EPC cooperation for Nigeria’s transmission network, where bottlenecks have continued to affect electricity supply to homes and businesses.
As part of the transmission expansion drive, the Nigerian delegation witnessed a factory acceptance test for high voltage cables and related transmission materials at Hengfei Cable’s Changsha Industrial Park.
The test is intended to confirm that equipment for Nigerian transmission projects meets required technical standards before shipment, reducing the risk of delays during installation.
Tegbe also called on Chinese corporations to invest in sectors with significant power demand and potential to drive economic growth, including steel, automotive manufacturing, digital infrastructure and data centres, cold chain logistics and sugar processing.
He proposed a structured Nigeria China industrial cooperation platform to identify, assess and develop bankable projects aligned with Nigeria’s industrialisation priorities.
According to the minister, linking new power generation and transmission capacity to industrial demand would help create jobs while improving the commercial viability of the electricity sector.
The engagements are part of the Federal Government’s strategy to mobilise international capital and technical expertise for power infrastructure development, increase system capacity and improve electricity reliability.
The Ministry said the immediate objective is to convert existing partnerships into financed projects and completed infrastructure capable of delivering measurable improvements in electricity supply.