The World Bank has approved $750m International Development Association (IDA) credit for Nigeria’s Power Sector Recovery Operation.
The statement issued by the bank on Wednesday expressed worry that about 47 per cent of Nigerians have no access to grid electricity and those who had access, faced regular power cuts. The statement therefore quoted World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Shubham Chaudhuri, as saying the credit would help to improve the electricity supply in Nigeria.
The bank estimated the economic cost of power shortages in Nigeria at around 28 billion dollars, which is equivalent to two per cent of its Gross Domestic Product. It therefore stated that getting access to electricity was one of the major constraints for the private sector, according to the Ease of Doing Business report.
In its statement, the bank noted that lack of reliable power has stifled economic activity and private investment and job creation, which ultimately is what Nigeria needed to lift 100 million people out of poverty.
The statement read in part, “The objective of this operation is to help turn around the power sector and set it on a fiscally sustainable path. This is particularly urgent at a time when the government needs all the fiscal resources it can marshal to help protect lives and livelihoods amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The PSRO is expected to increase annual electricity supplied to the distribution grid, enhance power sector financial viability while reducing annual tariff shortfalls and protecting the poor from the impact of tariff adjustments.
According to the World Bank’s, the IDA credit will enable the turnaround of power sector while helping the Federal Government to redirect large fiscal resources from highly regressive tariff shortfall financing towards critical crisis-responsive and pro-poor expenditures. It will also increase public awareness about ongoing power sector reforms and performance. Specifically, the Power Sector Reform Operation will ensure that 4,500 mwh/hour of electricity is supplied to the distribution grid by 2022 by strengthening the regulatory, policy and financing framework. It will also enhance the accountability and financial viability of the sector, helping the sector create a track record of sustainable operation necessary for unlocking much needed private investments in the future.
