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Togo, Niger, and Benin owe Nigeria N25bn for electricity supplied, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission. The regulator disclosed this in its Third Quarter 2025 report, highlighting persistent payment shortfalls by international power offtakers.
According to NERC, the three neighbouring countries owe a combined $17.8 million, which translates to N25.36 billion at an exchange rate of N1,425 to one dollar. The debt covers outstanding invoices from previous quarters as well as electricity supplied in the third quarter of 2025.
Details of the Electricity Debt
The report stated that international customers were billed $18.69 million for electricity supplied during Q3 2025. However, they paid only $7.125 million, leaving an unpaid balance of $11.56 million for the quarter.
In addition, NERC disclosed that the same countries had outstanding legacy invoices amounting to $14.7 million. They settled $7.84 million of that amount, leaving an additional $6.23 million unpaid. Together, the outstanding balances brought the total debt to $17.8 million.
The international offtakers were identified as:
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Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo
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Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique
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Société Nigérienne d’Électricité
These entities purchase power generated by Nigerian grid-connected generation companies through bilateral cross-border electricity supply arrangements.
Low Remittance Performance Raises Concerns
NERC said the international customers recorded a 38.09 percent remittance performance for Q3 2025. This means more than half of the electricity invoices remained unpaid at the end of the quarter.
In contrast, domestic bilateral electricity customers performed significantly better. They paid N3.19 billion out of N3.64 billion invoiced during the same period. This represented a 87.61 percent remittance rate, which NERC described as relatively strong.
Broader Market Performance
The commission also reported that Nigeria’s 11 electricity distribution companies remitted N381.29 billion to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc and the Market Operator in Q3 2025. This was out of a total invoice of N400.48 billion, reflecting a remittance performance of 95.21 percent.
NERC explained that the figures were based on reconciled market settlements submitted as of December 18, 2025. The assessment forms part of the regulator’s statutory review of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
Attribution
This report is based on official disclosures contained in the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission Third Quarter 2025 report and verified regulatory data.
