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Edo State’s Commissioner for Power, Paul Usenbo, urged local and foreign investors Sunday to take advantage of the state’s decentralized electricity market reforms, describing the model as a driver of investment, industrialization, and sustainable economic growth.
Usenbo made the appeal while briefing journalists in Benin, following his representation of Governor Monday Okpebholo at a high-level African Union energy meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He said Edo’s participation was aimed at showcasing the state’s energy reforms to development partners, investors, and policymakers, positioning it as a preferred destination for energy investment on the continent.
According to Usenbo, Edo’s energy agenda aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the African Continental Free Trade Area, the continent-wide Mission 300 initiative to expand electricity access, and United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 on affordable and clean energy. He said the Addis Ababa engagement gave Edo an opportunity to forge strategic partnerships, attract development financing, and deepen collaboration with multilateral institutions focused on expanding reliable electricity access across Africa.
Usenbo attributed Edo’s invitation to the meeting to progress recorded under Okpebholo’s administration, citing implementation of the Edo State Electricity Law, the proposed 100-megawatt Ologbo Independent Power Project, expanded renewable energy initiatives, rural electrification efforts, and the creation of what he described as an investor-friendly regulatory environment.
Discussions at the meeting centered on innovative financing for energy infrastructure, accelerating renewable energy deployment, strengthening intra-African trade through the AfCFTA, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, and expanding affordable electricity access, according to Usenbo. He said the outcomes reinforced Edo’s strategy of leaning on public-private partnerships to deliver energy infrastructure and unlock economic opportunity.
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“Good governance is about creating opportunities, and that begins with reliable electricity. In Edo State, under the leadership of Governor Monday Okpebholo, we are implementing bold reforms that attract investment, expand access to power and empower businesses to grow,” Usenbo said, adding that the state’s message at the AU meeting centered on decentralized energy as a foundation for industrialization and job creation.
The commissioner said Edo would apply the knowledge and engagements gained from the meeting toward accelerating electricity generation, expanding renewable energy and mini-grid projects, strengthening its regulatory framework, and unlocking further financing to improve energy access statewide. He said the reforms are expected to increase electricity access for homes, businesses, and industries, stimulate private investment, ease the state’s business climate, create jobs, and reduce carbon emissions through wider renewable energy deployment.
Usenbo said the overarching goal is to position Edo as Nigeria’s leading sub-national electricity market and a model for decentralized, investment-driven power reform across Africa.
Edo’s electricity law places it among a growing number of Nigerian states that have moved to regulate power distribution and generation independently since the country’s 2023 constitutional amendment devolved electricity regulation to the state level, ending the federal government’s exclusive authority over the sector under the prior legal framework. States including Lagos, Ekiti, Enugu, and Kaduna have similarly enacted their own electricity laws and established state regulatory commissions since the amendment took effect, part of a broader national shift toward decentralized power markets intended to attract independent generation projects and reduce reliance on the national grid, which has struggled for years with generation shortfalls and transmission losses.
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The African Union’s Mission 300 initiative, referenced by Usenbo, is a continent-wide effort launched in partnership with the World Bank and African Development Bank aimed at connecting 300 million people across Africa to electricity by 2030, with Nigeria among the countries that have committed national compacts under the initiative to expand access through a mix of grid extension, mini-grids, and off-grid solar solutions.
Usenbo’s statement did not disclose specific investment commitments, financing agreements, or partnership deals concluded at the Addis Ababa meeting, nor did it provide a timeline for the Ologbo Independent Power Project’s completion or specify current electricity access figures for Edo State.
