Sahara Power Group has called for the adoption of a digital electricity grid to address Nigeria’s longstanding power supply challenges.
Speaking through a representative at the IoT West Africa Conference, the Group Managing Director of Sahara Power Group, Kola Adesina, said a digital grid offers the quickest and most sustainable route to ensuring reliable electricity supply across the country.
Adesina, whose address was delivered by Sahara Group’s Group Head of Human Resources, Emilomo Arorote, said that despite Nigeria’s vast electricity generation potential, persistent supply shortages remain due to poor grid visibility, inadequate real-time data, and weak system intelligence.
According to him, a digital grid would bring real-time monitoring, automation, and predictive intelligence into the country’s electricity network, improving efficiency and reliability.
“Sensors deployed on transformers and other critical assets can detect faults before failures occur, while smart meters improve transparency and billing accuracy,” he said.
He further stated that advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence, integrated with live operational data, allow operators to predict electricity demand, minimise technical and commercial losses, detect energy theft faster, and transition from reactive to preventive maintenance practices.
Adesina pointed to practical examples of how digital solutions are improving power delivery.
He explained that the Aba Power industrial cluster in Abia State functions as a near-isolated smart grid that can automatically disconnect from the national grid within milliseconds whenever instability occurs, helping to guarantee uninterrupted power supply to customers.
He noted that in South Africa, improvements in grid management have enabled more than 320 consecutive days without load shedding, achieved largely through optimisation of existing infrastructure.
He also cited Mozambique as another example, where electricity losses have reportedly been reduced from 43 per cent to 21 per cent following the rollout of smart prepaid metering systems.
Adesina further argued that policy support, including the removal of import duties on key digital grid components such as sensors, smart meters, and battery storage systems, would help accelerate the modernisation of Nigeria’s electricity value chain.
He noted that Sahara Power Group’s participation in the Mission 300 Private Sector Council, a collaborative effort led by the World Bank and partners to expand electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030—reflects growing international confidence in private-sector-led solutions for energy access.
Adesina urged operators in the electricity sector to begin digitising critical infrastructure without delay, rather than waiting for perfect enabling conditions.
He also called on financiers to scale up the use of blended finance models, combining public, philanthropic, and private capital to unlock investment across Nigeria’s electricity distribution segment.
He also encouraged young Nigerian engineers, developers, and technology founders to actively develop solutions for a digital electricity grid, stressing that industry operators are prepared to adopt innovations that demonstrate clear, measurable impact on performance, efficiency, and reliability in the power sector.
“The quantum leap is not a slogan; it is a decision. With the right partnerships and choices, reliable electricity is within reach, and the future of Nigeria’s power sector can be one of resilience, confidence, and growth,” Adesina said.
