Nigeria is owed $17.8 million (about ₦25 billion) by Togo, Benin and Niger for electricity supplied under cross-border bilateral agreements, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The disclosure was contained in NERC’s Third Quarter 2025 report, which showed that the three countries were invoiced $18.69 million for electricity supplied during the period but remitted only $7.125 million, leaving an outstanding balance of $11.56 million for the quarter.
NERC identified the defaulting international customers as:
- Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo
- Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique (Benin)
- Société Nigérienne d’Électricité (Niger)
Electricity supplied to the three countries was generated by grid-connected Nigerian power generation companies and delivered through bilateral cross-border power arrangements.
In addition to the current quarter’s shortfall, the international offtakers also owed $6.23 million from legacy invoices. Although they paid $7.84 million toward previous debts during the quarter, the total outstanding obligation from both past and Q3 2025 invoices stood at $17.6 million.
According to the regulator, the international customers recorded a 38.09 per cent remittance performance in Q3 2025, meaning more than half of the power supplied during the period remained unpaid.
“The three international bilateral customers made a payment of $7.12 million against a cumulative invoice of $18.69 million issued by the Market Operator for services rendered in 2025/Q3,” NERC stated.
By contrast, domestic bilateral customers showed stronger payment discipline, remitting ₦3.19 billion out of ₦3.64 billion invoiced in the quarter, representing an 87.61 per cent remittance rate.
NERC also disclosed that Nigeria’s 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) remitted a combined ₦381.29 billion to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) and the Market Operator in Q3 2025, out of a total invoice of ₦400.48 billion, translating to a 95.21 per cent remittance performance.
The regulator noted that the figures were based on reconciled market settlements submitted as of December 18, 2025, and form part of its statutory assessment of the commercial health of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
The rising debt from international power customers highlights ongoing challenges in cross-border electricity trade, even as Nigeria seeks to stabilise its domestic power market and improve liquidity across the value chain.
