from OKORO CHINEDU in Lagos, Nigeria
Nigeria Bureau
LAGOS, (CAJ News) – NIGERIA is the country most affected by power outages in the continent.
This is according to findings by Utility Bidder, which reports the West African country experiences almost 33 power outages a month.
This is the third highest of any country on the global list, behind Papua New Guinea and Yemen.
“Widespread blackouts have become common in Nigeria as their national electricity grid supply is unreliable,” Utility Bidder stated.
Also in the top ten in Africa, in that order, are Central African Republic (CAR), Benin, Niger, Republic of Congo, Gambia, Burundi, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burkina Faso.
“Whether it is a brief cut in power or a nationwide blackout, power outages can be highly inconvenient for businesses,” Utility Bidder noted.
Africa’s biggest economy and largest nation, estimated at 227 million people, Nigeria is struggling to provide adequate electricity to domestic households and industrial producers.
This is despite a rapidly growing economy, some of the world’s largest deposits of coal, oil and gas.
Currently, 45 percent of Nigeria’s population is connected to the energy grid.
– CAJ News