Benin, Togo, Niger owe Nigeria $11.16 million in 2025 electricity bills

Benin, Togo and Niger owed Nigeria $11.16 million in electricity bills at the end of 2025, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

The regulator disclosed this in its 2025 annual report, which detailed the payment performance of Nigeria’s international bilateral electricity customers.

The three customers are Societe Beninoise d’Energie Electrique (SBEE) of Benin, Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo (CEET) of Togo and Societe Nigerienne d’electricite (NIGELEC) of Niger.

What the report is saying

The international customers recorded an 84.90% remittance performance during the year, meaning they paid most but not all of the electricity bills issued by the Market Operator (MO).

• The NERC stated that the three customers received a combined invoice of $73.91 million and paid $62.75 million.
• Domestic bilateral customers recorded a higher remittance rate of 96.60%, paying N12.75 billion out of N13.20 billion invoiced, the NERC stated.
• The difference in collection performance indicates a larger payment gap among the international customers.
• The regulator said the unpaid international bills amounted to $11.16 million.

NERC’s figures highlight the collection challenges facing the electricity market even as electricity continues to be supplied under bilateral arrangements within and outside Nigeria.

Get up to speed

The latest figures mark an improvement from the payment pattern recorded among Nigeria’s international electricity customers in 2024.

• Nairametrics reported in August 2024 that international customers had made no payment against a $14.19 million electricity bill issued by the Market Operator in the first quarter of that year.
• The payment recorded in 2025 therefore represents a significant change in remittance performance, although a portion of the annual invoices remained unpaid.
• Also, Nairametrics earlier reported that DisCos left N669.49 billion in billed electricity charges uncollected from customers in 2025.
• NERC said the N3.68 trillion worth of energy supplied translated to a gross billing efficiency of 81.14%.
• The revenue challenges persist amid reforms introduced by the Electricity Act 2023, which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed into law in June 2023.

The Act replaced the Electric Power Sector Reform Act 2005 and removed electricity from the Exclusive Legislative List, enabling states and private entities to participate more directly in electricity generation, transmission and distribution.

What you should know

Collection efficiency remains an important issue for the financial sustainability of Nigeria’s electricity market, particularly as distribution companies and other participants continue to face revenue and liquidity pressures.

NERC reported that electricity distribution companies generated N196 billion in revenue in February 2026.

In October 2025, the Federal Government approved N28 billion for electricity distribution companies under the Meter Acquisition Fund Tranche B scheme.

The funding was earmarked for the procurement and installation of prepaid meters as part of efforts to improve metering coverage.

The improved payment performance by international customers in 2025 provides additional revenue to the electricity market, while the outstanding $11.16 million highlights the need for continued attention to collections across the sector.