African utilities tackle shared challenges across the continent

Babatunde Osadare, Chief Legal Officer of Ikeja Electric, Nigeria’s largest electricity distribution company, says utilities across Africa face remarkably similar challenges, regardless of country.

Speaking to ESI Africa, Osadare said whether one looks at Kenya, Ghana, or Nigeria, the issues utilities encounter are often very similar. 

“These can range from policy hurdles to regulatory matters, especially around customer engagement. Utilities operate in a heavily regulated subsector, so understanding the framework is key.”

Osadare notes that Nigeria’s electricity distribution sector, which was privatised into 11 separate companies, regularly benefits from cross-company knowledge sharing. 

“It’s very important that from time to time, we compare notes, identify issues within our networks, and review the solutions we’ve deployed to tackle these problems,” he says.

Cover photo:  Source thirawat©123rf