By Peace Udugba
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has secured a commitment from leading Chinese equipment manufacturer TBEA to establish a power and energy equipment industrial park in Nigeria.
Tegbe secured the commitment during a high-level meeting at TBEA’s headquarters in Beijing, China, as part of his working visit to engage original equipment manufacturers and technical partners involved in the Presidential Power Initiative.
The proposed industrial park is expected to position Nigeria as a manufacturing and export hub for critical power-sector equipment, reducing dependence on imports while creating jobs and developing a strong base of indigenous suppliers.
Tegbe described TBEA as a long-term strategic development partner rather than merely a contractor, stressing the Federal Government’s commitment to attracting investors capable of bringing technology transfer, local capacity development and capital into the country.
The minister also secured renewed commitment from TBEA to accelerate ongoing transmission and distribution projects across Nigeria.
According to the engagement, the projects are expected to help unlock more than 2,000 megawatts of stranded power generation capacity for consumers and strengthen bulk electricity supply to the Federal Capital Territory.
Tegbe called for the faster completion of projects under the Presidential Power Initiative and urged the extension of planned grid infrastructure to Nigeria’s East-West corridor.
He stressed that contracted and substantially developed projects must be completed so that Nigerians can begin to benefit from the investments made in the power sector.
The meeting also examined the feasibility of developing electric-vehicle charging infrastructure in Nigeria, creating another potential area for investment as the country’s electricity grid increasingly incorporates renewable energy and energy-storage technologies.
The outcomes of the Beijing engagement reflect the Federal Government’s broader push to transform Nigeria’s power sector from dependence on imported equipment to local manufacturing, while improving electricity delivery to homes and industries.
The initiative is also expected to deepen technology transfer, strengthen local supply chains and support the development of a power sector capable of driving industrialisation and sustained economic growth.
