President Bola Tinubu and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday evening in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, witnessed the signing of an accelerated performance agreement aimed at expediting the implementation of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) to improve electricity supply in Nigeria.
The agreement, consummated on the sidelines of the COP28 world climate action summit, was signed by the Managing Director/CEO of FGN Power Company, Mr. Kenny Anuwe; and Siemens Energy’s Senior Vice President/Managing Director for Africa, Ms. Nadja Haakansson.
Formerly known as the Nigeria Electrification Roadmap Initiative, the PPI was the outcome of the visit of former German Chancellor, Angela Merkel to Abuja, Nigeria in August 2018. An agreement was signed between the governments of Nigeria and Germany in 2019 to improve the power sector.
Since assuming office on 29th May, President Bola Tinubu has consistently advocated the accelerated realisation and expansion of the PPI. To achieve this, the project has been a major focal point in three rounds of bilateral discussions at several meetings between the President and the German Chancellor, in New Delhi, Abuja and Berlin.
According to a statement by the President’s spokesman, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, the agreement signed on Friday will see to the end-to-end modernisation and expansion of Nigeria’s electric power transmission grid with the full supply, delivery and installation of Siemens-manufactured equipment under the time line of 18 to 24 months.
Furthermore, the agreement will ensure project sustainability and maintenance with full technology transfer and training for Nigerian engineers at the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
After the signing ceremony in Dubai, Anuwe highlighted Siemens Energy’s effective delivery of crucial equipment worth over €63 million to the country since the project commenced. Thess included 10 units of 132/33KV mobile substations; three units of 75/100MVA transformers, and seven units of 60/66MVA transformers, currently being installed by FGN Power Company at various sites across Nigeria.
The project will also focus on identified load demand centres with a particular emphasis on economic and industrial hubs nationwide; execution of new 330kV and 132/33KV substations in target load centres with economic priority, in addition to thousands of kilometres of overhead transmission lines to connect new substations with existing ones.
