By Stella Odueme
The Federal Government has taken another step towards implementing the Electricity Act, 2023, with the establishment of a nine-member inter-agency committee to address issues arising from the decentralisation of Nigeria’s electricity market.
The committee, chaired by the Minister of Power, was constituted at the end of a stakeholders’ workshop convened to review the ongoing implementation of the landmark legislation.
It has been given four weeks to engage stakeholders, examine concerns raised during the workshop and recommend practical solutions to ensure the smooth operation of the reformed electricity market, the Nigerian Electricity Regulation Commission, NERC said in a statement on Wednesday.
Speaking at the event, the Minister described the decentralisation of the electricity market as one of the most far-reaching reforms undertaken in the Nigerian power sector in recent decades, stressing that cooperation among institutions would determine its success.
He said the reform was designed to strengthen, rather than divide, the electricity industry by assigning responsibilities across different levels of government within a unified national electricity system.
“The decentralisation of the electricity market should not be viewed as fragmentation. It should be understood as the intelligent distribution of responsibilities within one integrated national electricity ecosystem,” the Minister said.
He noted that electricity remains the backbone of national development, powering critical sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, mining, telecommunications, financial services and the digital economy.
According to him, achieving the objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda depends largely on a reliable and sustainable electricity supply, making the successful implementation of the Electricity Act a national priority.
The Minister commended stakeholders for their robust engagement during the workshop and expressed confidence that continued consultations would strengthen the implementation framework.
He added that the newly inaugurated committee would provide a platform for sustained collaboration, regulatory certainty and prompt resolution of implementation challenges, ultimately fostering a more reliable, competitive and investor-friendly electricity market that supports Nigeria’s economic transformation.
