Power generation: FG secures $1.1bn AfDB loan to power 5m people by 2026

The Federal Government has secured a $1.1 billion loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to provide electricity to 5 million people by the end of 2026.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, made this announcement in a statement, revealing that President Bola Tinubu shared the update at the recently concluded two-day Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Tinubu also highlighted that the AfDB’s $200 million contribution to the Nigeria Electrification Project would provide electricity for 500,000 people by the end of 2025. His speech, delivered by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, included the statement: “I (Tinubu) acknowledged AfDB’s $1.1 billion, which is expected to provide electricity to 5 million people by 2026, while the $200 million in the Nigeria Electrification Project will provide electricity to 500,000 people by 2025.”
“This is an ambitious goal, but we can achieve it together. As Nigeria’s President, I am committed to making energy access a top priority.”
Meanwhile, the president is also expecting to get the planned $1.2 billion AfDB investment in Nigeria’s Desert-to-Power programme and facility for the Nigeria-Grid Battery Energy Storage System.
“We also look forward to the AfDB’s planned $700 million investment in the Nigeria Desert-to-Power programme and its planned $500 million facility for the Nigeria-Grid Battery Energy Storage System, which will provide electricity for an additional two million people.
“We have equally begun making plans to ensure the effectiveness of the World Bank’s $750 million support for expanding Nigeria’s distributed energy access via mini-grids and standalone solar systems that will provide access to power to 16.2 million people,” Tinubu said.
He thanked Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, and Akinwunmi Adesina of AfDB for their transformative vision, which he said “will light up and power Africa.”
He also applauded the contributions of the UN Sustainable Energy For All, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Global Energy Alliance for Development.
Tinubu said: “As we all know, Africa is rich in energy resources, yet millions of our citizens still lack access to reliable and affordable energy.
“This situation is unacceptable. It is our responsibility to take collective action to change this narrative.”