President Bola Tinubu has reiterated his administration’s commitment to the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), assuring Siemens Energy of full government support to boost electricity supply across the country.
Speaking during a meeting with a delegation from Siemens Energy at the State House on Monday, Tinubu said improving power infrastructure remains important to Nigeria’s economic recovery and development across key sectors, including industry, education, and healthcare.
“We are taking power very seriously,” the President said, according to a statement by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga.
However, he added that the project under the Presidential Power Initiative implementation, which started in 2021, must move faster.
“There is no industrial growth or economic development without power. We appreciate the support and commitment of the German government and Siemens. The progress made so far is notable, but we must move faster.”
Tinubu further directed that some major transformer substations under the project be expanded from two to three phases to further strengthen the national grid.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, briefed the President on milestones achieved under the initiative, noting that reforms and the signing of the Electricity Act 2023 have already attracted over $22 billion in fresh investments and activated state-level electricity markets.
He added that under the pilot phase, Siemens delivered mobile substations and transformers that have added 984 MW of transmission capacity nationwide. Civil works for Phase One upgrades in Abeokuta, Offa, Ibadan (Ayede), Sokoto, and Onitsha are set to commence, with two substations expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
Siemens Energy’s Middle East and Africa Managing Director, Dietmar Siersdorfer, said the PPI will create jobs, foster technology transfer, and position Nigeria as a regional power hub.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, stressed that stable power will improve the ease of doing business and support employment growth.
Germany’s representative at the meeting, Johannes Lehne, pledged continued cooperation with Nigeria.
