ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria has secured a $238 million loan facility from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to expand its national power grid, following high-level engagements led by President Bola Tinubu and Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, at the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan.
In a statement on Friday, Tinubu said Nigeria’s participation at TICAD 9 focused on “strategic, outcome-driven partnerships that deliver measurable results,” adding that the administration is shifting “from agreements to delivery.”
The loan, backed by N19 billion in counterpart funding, will finance 102.95km of 330kV double circuit lines, 104.59km of 132kV lines, four 330/132/33kV substations, and two 132/33kV substations, while reducing system losses.
Minister Adelabu noted that engagements with firms such as Toshiba and Hitachi were key to unlocking Nigeria’s energy potential. “Our focus is on transmission infrastructure and operational efficiency. This JICA loan provides the backbone for that transformation,” he said.
Adelabu reaffirmed government plans to bridge Nigeria’s energy gap, where only 55–60% of citizens currently have access to electricity. The $238m facility adds to the $750m World Bank-funded Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) programme, targeting 17 million Nigerians.
In addition, three JICA-funded substations in Abuja, Nasarawa, and Lagos are set for commissioning, alongside new training equipment for engineers at the National Power Training Institute.
Nigeria Secures $238m Japan Loan to Expand National Power Grid
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