The Federal Government has called for greater strategic attention to electricity grids, saying resilient power infrastructure is essential to national and global energy security.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, made the call on Tuesday while delivering a keynote address at the opening plenary of the Middle East Energy 2026 Leadership Summit in Dubai.
Speaking on “Energy Security and the Effect of Geopolitics,” Tegbe said energy security could no longer be measured solely by the availability of oil and gas reserves.
He said the resilience of electricity grids, critical mineral supply chains, capital and institutions must also form part of national energy security planning.
The minister said countries must be able to maintain electricity supplies to homes, hospitals and industries during periods of geopolitical and economic disruption.
Tegbe said Nigeria’s ongoing power sector reforms were designed to provide the certainty needed to attract investment, stressing the importance of regulatory stability, respect for contracts and bankable power purchase arrangements.
He also identified affordability as a key component of energy security, while advocating an orderly and just global energy transition that recognises the circumstances of individual countries.
The minister highlighted Nigeria’s over 200 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves and its long record of supplying liquefied natural gas to markets in Europe and Asia, saying the country had an important role to play in global energy security.
He described the Electricity Act 2023 as a major reform of Nigeria’s power sector, noting that it ended the Federal Government’s longstanding monopoly and opened the way for 37 emerging electricity markets across the country.
Tegbe said Africa, with about 600 million people still without access to electricity, would remain central to global energy discussions because of its mineral resources, solar potential, youthful population and growing energy demand.
He called for partnerships focused not only on extracting Africa’s resources but also on local processing, manufacturing, skills development and long-term investment.
The minister invited global investors and development partners to work with Nigeria and other African countries to expand energy infrastructure and support the continent’s power future.
