By Joke Kujenya
NIGERIA’s NATIONAL Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported that in the first quarter of 2024, the country exported electrical energy worth N58.65 billion to several African nations.
This export constituted 2.62% of the total goods imported from Nigeria by the continent noting that he primary recipients of this electrical energy were the Republic of Benin, Niger, and Togo.
The NBS document, titled “Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics (Q1 2024),” detailed Nigeria’s trade activities with African countries.
On the import side, Nigeria’s major imports from Africa included kerosene-type jet fuel valued at N31.00 billion (7.72%), petroleum bitumen at N30.45 billion (7.58%), diammonium hydrogen orthophosphate (diammonium phosphate) at N27.64 billion (6.88%), other liquefied petroleum gases and gaseous hydrocarbons at N26.61 billion (6.62%), and polypropylene at N18.30 billion (4.55%).
Nigeria’s top African trading partners in Q1 2024 were South Africa, with goods valued at N97.33 billion, and Ivory Coast, with N51.41 billion.
Other significant partners included Togo (N40.86 billion), Egypt (N40.23 billion), and Morocco (N30.07 billion).
Globally, Nigeria’s imports were primarily sourced from Asia, totaling N5,957.99 billion and representing 47.12% of total imports. Europe followed with N4,669.86 billion (36.94%), America with N1,554.69 billion (12.30%), Africa with N401.83 billion (3.18%), and Oceania with N58.86 billion (0.47%).
Imports from ECOWAS countries amounted to N113.04 billion, or 0.89% of total imports. China was the leading single source of imports, contributing N2,930.10 billion, or 23.18% of Nigeria’s total imports.
Several West African countries, including Ghana, the Republic of Benin, and Togo, are currently experiencing power outages due to a disruption in gas supply from Nigeria.
Major cities across these nations have been affected, resulting in widespread darkness.
The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCO) in Accra, Ghana, recently announced a drop in gas volumes available for transportation.
This decrease is attributed to maintenance work being conducted by one of its gas producers in Nigeria.
The gas producer has shut its facility for a three-week maintenance period, significantly reducing the gas available for WAPCO to transport to its customers in Togo, Benin, and Ghana.
WAPCO expressed regret over the situation, stating, “One of the producers of the natural gas WAPCO transports from Nigeria has shut down its facility for three-week maintenance, resulting in a decrease of gas available for WAPCO to transport to customers in Togo, Benin, and Ghana. The current situation is entirely out of WAPCO’s control.”
The Ghana Grid Company Limited and the Electricity Company of Ghana issued a joint statement informing the public about the power outages.
They cited the reduction in gas supply from Nigeria, effective since Wednesday, June 12, 2024, as the cause of the interruptions as the statement clarified that the shortages are expected to continue for the duration of the maintenance works in Nigeria.
