Development Crisis of Power Supply and Implications for Industrial Sector in Nigeria

Development crisis affecting Africa is often anchored on poor industrial development and technological infrastructure. Technology infrastructure is a vital prerequisite for economic, industrial and technological development and growth. Technology infrastructure comprises power supply, energy, transportation, communication, water supply, etc. Most of these are lacking in the continent. Focusing exclusively but critically on the power supply situation in Nigeria, the paper argued that despite huge funds government had committed into the power sector in the past eight years (1999-2007), Nigeria with population of over 140 million was only able to generate less than 3,000 MW as against over 10,000 MW needed to transform the economy of the country. The paper identified several causes of this inadequate power supply and argued that this precarious situation has serious negative implications for the operations of industrial sector in the country, as most organizations spent fortunes generating their own power. This situation represents a major set back on the country's quest for industrial development. Against this backdrop, the paper suggested that there is urgent need to overhaul completely the power sector in Nigeria so as to place the country on the pedestal of economic and industrial development.