Nigeria's electricity exports to neighbouring countries recorded weak payment performance in the first quarter of 2026, with the Republic of Benin, Togo and the Niger Republic collectively paying only a fraction of the invoices issued for electricity supplied by Nigerian generation companies.

According to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in its 2026 First Quarter Report, the three international bilateral customers were billed a combined $17.48 million for electricity supplied during the period but remitted only $4.82 million, representing 27.57% of the total invoice. This leaves an outstanding balance of approximately $12.66 million.

The commission explained that the payments were made through the Market Operator (MO), which invoices both domestic and international bilateral customers for electricity transactions within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

Benin makes the highest payment

A breakdown of the payments showed that Société Béninoise d'Énergie Électrique (SBEE) of the Republic of Benin accounted for the largest remittance, paying $4.05 million.

The payment included $3.28 million for electricity supplied by Ughelli Power Plc and $770,000 for energy supplied by Paras Energy.

Meanwhile, Société Nigérienne d'Électricité (NIGELEC) of the Niger Republic remitted $1.87 million, while Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo (CEET) paid $720,000.

Beyond current invoices, NERC disclosed that the three international customers, alongside nine domestic bilateral customers, also made payments towards debts accumulated from previous quarters.

The international customers paid $6.64 million, while domestic bilateral customers settled ₦2.59 billion in outstanding obligations.

In contrast to the international customers, domestic bilateral customers posted a much stronger payment performance.

They paid ₦5.82 billion out of the ₦6.12 billion billed for electricity supplied during the first quarter, achieving a 95% remittance rate, according to the commission.

On the distribution side, electricity distribution companies (DisCos) recorded improved revenue collection during the quarter.

NERC reported that the 11 DisCos collectively billed customers ₦756.93 billion in the first quarter of 2026 and recovered ₦597.56 billion, representing a collection efficiency of 78.95%.

The regulator noted that while domestic electricity market collections remained relatively strong, improving payment compliance by both international customers and special consumers remains critical to strengthening liquidity across Nigeria's power sector.