The Federal Government is projecting nearly $1 billion in annual revenue from electricity exports to 15 West African countries under the ECOWAS sub-region starting from June 2026.

These earnings are based on utilising the full 600 megawatts of export capacity at the prevailing regional tariff, following a landmark grid synchronisation exercise conducted earlier this month.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, announced the new revenue stream at a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja, stating that Nigeria successfully conducted a grid synchronisation test with 15 West African countries for four hours on November 8, 2025.

This development positions Nigeria to fully exploit its strategic role as the regional power hub under the West African Power Pool (WAPP).

The synchronisation exercise, conducted between 5:04 am and 9:04 am, involved the Nigerian grid, which includes the Niger Republic and parts of Benin and Togo, and the rest of West Africa’s interconnected systems, covering countries like Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali.

The minister said for four uninterrupted hours, power flowed seamlessly across national borders, operating at a single stable frequency and proving that West Africa is now technically capable of functioning as a unified power bloc. This exercise represents the first time in history that Nigeria has operated in a fully harmonised configuration with the rest of the sub-region.

Beyond this latest achievement, the minister said the government is working toward achieving permanent grid synchronisation by June 2026, with a second 48-hour test run planned. The government assured electricity consumers that exporting power to West African countries will not compromise supply to the domestic market.

Adelabu noted that the benefits of synchronisation would extend directly to the Nigerian people, as a more stable grid improves the performance of essential services such as hospitals, water supply, and digital infrastructure.

The minister added that Nigeria’s transmission wheeling capacity has risen to 8,500 megawatts, creating a more stable backbone for future export commitments. However, despite this available capacity, low demand from the electricity distribution companies has kept actual generation at around 5,000MW, leaving about 3,500MW stranded within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.

Adelabu concluded, “We have the capacity and the facility to generate more power in Nigeria, and investment is still open to interested power sector investors. As long as there is demand in the other 14 countries of West Africa, Nigeria can easily export energy to those countries.”

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