The Minister of Power, Engr. Sale Mamman has justified Nigeria’s involvement in the North Core 330KV transmission project, saying it would boost trade among countries covered by the project tackling the energy deficit in countries.
The $570 million project which takes power from Nigeria, through Benin to Niger, Togo to Burkina Faso is about 875km in length.
Speaking at the opening of the first session of the joint ministerial steering committee, Engr. Mamman said that currently, “the limited access to electricity as well as the endemic electricity shortages constitutes a bottleneck to the socioeconomic development of ECOWAS Member States.
“Two-thirds of sub-Saharan Africa’s population, approximately 600 million people, is without access to electricity, despite the region’s significant endowment of natural resources.
“The lack of reliable and affordable electricity significantly constrains economic activity and growth in these countries and affects disproportionally the poorest segment of the population of the sub-region, which in turn, has a profound impact on health and social service delivery particularly vulnerable groups such as elderly people, children and women”.
He also added, “as a result of high economic growth, rapid urbanisation, large population increases, and governments’ active policies to expand access within ECOWAS Member countries, industrial and commercial electricity demand is projected to enjoy sustained growth in the coming decades”.
