— The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has secured renewed commitments from leading Chinese power engineering firms and financial institutions to accelerate the delivery of Nigeria’s Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) projects and expand Chinese investment across the country’s electricity value chain.
The commitments were secured during a high-level Nigeria–China power sector mission in Beijing, where Tegbe challenged prospective partners to move beyond agreements and translate partnerships into bankable projects, financed investments and completed infrastructure capable of delivering measurable improvements in electricity supply.
The Minister’s engagements focused on generation, transmission, project financing, hydropower and industrial manufacturing, with particular emphasis on faster project execution and increased system capacity.
At meetings with Sinomach Group and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), two major contractors involved in Nigeria’s generation and transmission programmes, Tegbe pressed for firm and accelerated completion timelines for ongoing PPI projects.
He also advocated a broader partnership model that would see Chinese companies move beyond traditional engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts to become co-investors, bringing capital, technology and technical expertise into Nigeria’s power infrastructure.
Building on CMEC’s existing presence in Nigeria, the Minister said the expanded partnership should deliver faster project completion, additional wheeling capacity and innovative blended-financing structures to support critical power infrastructure.
Tegbe also held discussions with China National Electric Engineering Corporation (CNEEC) to deepen EPC cooperation on Nigeria’s transmission network, a critical part of the electricity value chain where infrastructure constraints continue to limit the delivery of power to homes and businesses.
As part of the mission’s focus on project execution and quality assurance, the Nigerian delegation witnessed a factory acceptance test for high-voltage cables and other transmission materials at Hengfei Cable’s Changsha Industrial Park.
The test is an important quality-control step for equipment destined for Nigerian transmission projects, helping to ensure that materials meet required technical standards before shipment and reducing the risk of delays during installation.
Beyond infrastructure development, Tegbe sought to link increased electricity supply to productive economic activity by inviting Chinese companies to invest in power-intensive sectors with strong growth potential in Nigeria.
These include steel production, automotive manufacturing, digital infrastructure and data centres, cold-chain logistics and sugar processing.
The Minister proposed the establishment of a structured Nigeria–China industrial cooperation platform to identify, assess and develop bankable investments aligned with Nigeria’s industrialisation priorities.
The approach is designed to ensure that investments in generation and transmission are matched by reliable industrial demand, creating jobs, strengthening the commercial viability of the electricity market and translating additional power capacity into broader economic growth.
The engagements form part of the Ministry of Power’s strategy to use international partnerships to mobilise capital, expand critical infrastructure, increase electricity system capacity and improve reliability.
For Tegbe, the benchmark for every partnership is delivery: turning commitments into financed projects, projects into completed infrastructure, and infrastructure into reliable electricity and economic value for Nigerians.
