The Programme Manager, Energy and Circular Economy at the European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Godfrey Ogbemudia, has said that the bloc has invested over €200m in grants since 2008 to support Nigeria’s power sector, including policy reforms, capacity building, and market development.
Speaking at the one-day stakeholder engagement organised by the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) in Abuja on Thursday, themed “Building a Skilled and Sustainable Workforce for NESI Transformation”, Ogbemudia stated that the EU’s latest renewable energy package, valued at €100m, would accelerate access to clean energy through innovative financing, energy infrastructure, and technical assistance, with a strong focus on solar, wind, and small hydropower.
“The EU has been a trusted partner of Nigeria in the power sector since 2008, investing more than €200m in grants. These projects have focused on policy regulation, building the capacity of market participants, and facilitating access to finance for both public and private sector stakeholders.
“Our latest renewable energy package for the power sector is approximately €100m, and it has been designed to support access to clean energy through innovative financing, technical assistance, and new energy infrastructure.
“For us, we do not reform oil and gas, but basically renewable energy, technology, and energy efficiency are what we reform. We have done a lot, we have seen the solar market becoming what it is today, we are the first innovative private sector-led mini-grid in the country,” he added.
In his speech, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, said that the ministry remained concerned about the severe capacity deficit across utilities, especially at the distribution end.
Represented by the Director of Distribution in the ministry, Baba Umar Mustapha, the Permanent Secretary cited the poor training culture that preceded the 2013 privatisation exercise, noting that many DisCos inherited an ageing and untrained workforce, leaving them unable to maintain modern infrastructure or operate digital systems.
According to him, the ministry is pushing for the training of 1,500 engineers and technicians annually, but inadequate funding and low private sector participation are slowing down the target.
Nigeria’s power sector is undergoing one of its most aggressive transformations in a decade, following the Electricity Act 2023, which decentralised the power market and allowed states to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity.
In parallel, the sector is witnessing rapid shifts, including massive growth in off-grid solar solutions, accelerating metering rollout, increased renewable energy penetration, new state electricity markets and regulators, digital migration in grid management, and the rising need for technical safety and modern engineering practices.
However, stakeholders at the event agreed that these reforms cannot succeed without a trained workforce to design, operate, and maintain new infrastructure.
The session, organised in partnership with Colenco, brought together regulators, utilities, development partners, and technical experts to address manpower shortages that are slowing down the implementation of the Electricity Act 2023, renewable integration, metering expansion, and the ongoing digitalisation of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Director-General of the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), Ahmed Nagode, stated that the success of recent reforms heavily depended on the availability of competent and agile technical personnel.
He noted that the transformative provisions of the Electricity Act 2023, increased integration of renewable energy, accelerating grid expansion and rising digitalisation were reshaping the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, offering immense opportunities for growth, reliability, and accessibility.
However, he cautioned that these opportunities also expose the sector’s biggest vulnerability, an acute shortage of competent, adaptable, and sustainably skilled professionals.
“The success of every technical upgrade, market restructuring and modernisation effort hinges on one irreducible factor: a capable workforce. Without this, infrastructure remains underutilised, investments underperform, and our aspiration for stable, affordable power will remain elusive,” he said.
According to him, despite massive investments in infrastructure and policy reforms, the sector continues to grapple with skills gaps, poor alignment between training output and industry needs, and weak collaboration frameworks.
“At least the country has gone a long way in seeing that we experience a stable, reliable, and affordable power sector. However, all these policies could not be achieved without skilled manpower in the sector.
“Infrastructure remains underutilised, investments underperform, and our national aspiration for stable and affordable power will remain elusive without a sustainable, skilled workforce,” he warned.
GIK/APA