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Nigeria, Japan collaborate to improve electricity transmission

By BusinessNews Staff on November 7, 2013

The Federal Government on Tuesday announced its collaboration with Japan to tackle electricity transmission challenges in the country.

Both governments agreed to deal with the setbacks in Nigeria’s transmission infrastructure when a delegation from Japan led by the country’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Ryuichi Shoji, visited the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Power in Abuja.

Shoji, in a statement from the ministry, told the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, that his country was ready to partner with Nigeria in the area of human capital development.

He said Japan would do whatever was possible to impact to Nigerians the relevant knowledge needed to drive the power sector and, thereafter, transfer the technology to the citizens on the basis of equality rather than teacher-student relationship.

Another area of collaboration, he said, was the development of a robust master plan on which the electricity transmission infrastructure would be erected, using a template that would be beneficial to both countries.

With the recent handover of the electricity generation and distribution companies to privare investors following the unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, the Federal Government is currently left with only the Transmission Company of Nigeria, which has since been given out on concession to Manitoba Hydro International of Canada on a management contract basis.

The government has, however, continued to cry out over the decrepit transmission architecture in the sector due to decades of zero investment.

In his response, Nebo cited the assistance of Japan in developing a master plan through the Power Sector Reform and renewable energy project in the last one-and-a-half years, and prayed that the plan, which had a budget of $4m, should not only continue but be pursued with vigour.

The minister urged Japan to participate in the rural electrification initiative of the Federal Government, especially in making Nigeria to benefit from the $500m it earmarked for renewable energy in the next five years.

He thanked Japan for providing $15m for the construction of the Katampe sub-station and urged it to consider similar reinforcement projects to help to stabilise the power sector.

Nebo stated that through the grant of $25m provided by Japan, substantial work had been done on the Jebba Hydro Power Station, and expressed interest in the $100m concessionary grant the country was ready to provide.

While declaring Nigeria’s happiness for Japan’s readiness to intervene in upgrading the transmission infrastructure in Lagos, for which the sum of $200m had been proposed, the minister said the state had been neglected for a long time.

[Punch]

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