Ten years after the privatisation of the Nigerian power sector, experts and industry stakeholders will converge on Abuja, the nation’s capital to assess the performance of the sector.
The Inaugural Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) Market Participants and Stakeholders Roundtable (NMPSR), 2023 will allow industry experts and other stakeholders to brainstorm on ways to move the power sector forward.
A pre-conference joint statement signed by the NMPSR Planning Committee Chairman, Prof. Stephen Ogaji, and Secretary, Bode Fadipe ESQ on Sunday said, the 3-day event which would assemble industry stakeholders from across the country would be held from Monday, October 30, 2023, in Abuja.
The statement said, “although opinions may be divided on the rationale for the Roundtable, industry watchers and other key stakeholders are of the view that the examination of the sector along the lines of defined parameters should be a welcomed development as it affords players the opportunity to clinically determine the issues in the sector and proffer solutions”.
It said, “the 10-year milestone, post-privatisation, in view of the continued challenges of the power sector, presents the perfect opportunity that is not so much a celebration but a sober reflection/retrospection and an audit of how far we have come, how much further we need to go, and what we require for the journey ahead”.
According to the statement, the event would have eight plenary sessions which would encompass the various segments of the NESI viz: Power Generation; Gas to power; Power Distribution, Transmission, Metering and Customer Centricity, Renewable Energy, and Climate Change, Access to Finance, Liquidity, and Recapitalization.
It said, the conference with the theme: “NESI privatization and its 10-year milestone: The Journey So Far, Opportunities and Prospects,” will also look at the regulatory and policy ecosystem, with a particular emphasis on the Electricity Act, 2023.
“As you are aware, the privatization of the NESI, which took place in 2013 marked a historic turning point in Nigeria’s energy sector, transitioning it from the era of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to a system of private investor ownership and participation.
“However, the progress in NESI, post-privatization has not fully met the lofty expectations set forth in the National Electricity Power Policy, 2001 (NEPP), the Electric Power Sector Reform Act, 2005 (EPSRA) now Electricity Act 2023, and the Road Map for Power Sector Reform, 2010.
“Consequently, while acknowledging the ten-year post-privatization milestone, under the umbrella of NMPSR, the operators and other stakeholders of NESI are also seeking to assess the evolution of the privatisation, assess the areas of constraint, and determine a roadmap that will provide the pathway to the progress that is currently impeded by various factors.
“The roundtable is expected to provide a platform for leading energy professionals and other related experts to discuss and objectively determine a way forward for a privatized NESI, consistent with the aspirations and objectives of NEPP.
“Ultimately, designing a post privatisation roadmap that will be presented to decision/policymakers, as NESI market participants and stakeholders’ comprehensive contribution to power sector policy formulation and implementation”, the statement said.
