Nigeria's Power Minister calls for strategic focus on grid resilience

Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has called for electricity grids to receive the same strategic importance traditionally given to fuel supplies in global energy security planning. Speaking at the Middle East Energy 2026 Leadership Summit in Dubai, Tegbe emphasized that a changing energy landscape makes resilient electricity infrastructure vital to both national and international security.

He argued that energy security must expand beyond hydrocarbon reserves to include the resilience of the entire energy system, such as grid infrastructure, critical mineral supply chains, capital, and institutions. Tegbe noted that maintaining electricity flow to homes, hospitals, and industries during geopolitical or economic stress should be a strategic priority.

Regarding Nigeria, the minister stated that power sector reforms are designed to attract investment through regulatory certainty, contract sanctity, and bankable offtake arrangements. He also proposed that energy affordability is a security issue and advocated for a global energy transition that is orderly, just, and responsive to the specific circumstances of individual nations.