Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has revealed that three neighbouring countries including Benin Republic, Togo, and Niger owe Nigeria a total of $11.57 million for electricity supplied by Nigerian generation companies under bilateral arrangements during the third quarter of 2025.
Gatekeepers News reports that according to NERC’s Q3 report, the market operator issued invoices amounting to $18.69 million, but the three international customers paid only $7.12 million, representing a remittance rate of 38.09 percent.
NERC identified the debtors as Compagnie Energie Électrique du Togo, Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique of Benin Republic, and Société Nigérienne d’Électricité of Niger Republic.
The regulator noted that some payments were also made towards previous quarters, with international customers remitting $7.84 million and domestic bilateral customers paying N1,299.66 million on older invoices.
For domestic bilateral customers, NERC said payments of N3.19 billion were received against a N3.64 billion bill issued for the same period, indicating an 87.61 percent remittance performance.
However, Ajaokuta Steel Company and its host community failed to pay their invoiced amounts, with no remittances toward the N1.03 billion due to Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc or the N100 million billed by the market operator.
NERC described the non‑payment as a longstanding issue and said it has urged relevant federal government authorities to intervene.
Nigeria’s power sector has long struggled with revenue shortfalls due to unpaid bills and foreign exchange challenges that affect cross‑border electricity sales, as highlighted by industry analysts.
Despite these issues, Nigeria continues to supply electricity to neighbouring states under regional power trading arrangements facilitated by the West African Power Pool (WAPP), which aims to foster electricity cooperation and grid integration across West Africa.
