Togo, Niger, Benin owe Nigeria $17.8m for electricity supply

Though Nigerians are struggling with poor electricity supplies and estimated billings neghbouring African countries may just be enjoying our electricity more than us because there are indications that the sub Saharan countries that get supplied light from Nigeria enjoy steady supplies.

Millions of Nigerians have decried the situation they see as unfortunate with millions of households living daily and deprived of electricity forcing them to provide electricity themselves through Solar panels, Inverters, Generators etc which consume a greater part of their income monthly.

According to the NERC, Togo, Niger, and Benin owe Nigeria $17.8million, about N25billion at the current exchange rate of the Naira, for electricity supplied under the existing bilateral arrangements.

In its 3rd quarter  2025 report  NERC disclosed that the three international customers were invoiced a total of $18.69million by the Market Operator for electricity supplied during the period, but unfortunately they remitted only $7.125million, leaving an outstanding balance of $11.56million.

Similarly, the international bilateral customers had legacy invoices of $14.7million, out of which they paid only $7.84m, leaving a balance of $6.23million.

It added that the international off takers of power included Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo, Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique of the Republic of Benin, and Société Nigérienne d’Électricité of the Republic of Niger.

According to NERC, the three international bilateral customer’s purchasing power from the grid-connected GenCos made a cumulative payment of $7.125million against the $18.69million invoice issued to them by the Market Operator for services rendered in the third quarter 2025.

It stated that the remittance level represented a 38.09 per cent remittance performance, with over half of the invoices remaining unpaid at the end of the quarter.

It explained that the electricity supplied to the three countries was generated by grid-connected Nigerian generation companies and delivered through bilateral cross-border power arrangements.

“The three international bilateral customers being supplied by GenCos in the NESI made a payment of $7.12million against the cumulative invoice of $18.69million issued by the MO for services rendered in 2025/Q3, translating to a remittance performance of 38.09 per cent”.

In contrast, NERC said that domestic bilateral customers performed better, remitting N3.19billion out of the N3.64 billion invoiced to them during the quarter, representing a remittance rate of 87.61 per cent.

“The domestic bilateral customers made a cumulative payment of N3.19bn against the invoice of N3.64bn issued to them by the MO for services rendered in the 3rd quarter of 2025, translating to 87.61 per cent remittance performance,” it added.

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