WILBERFORCE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES (WJSS)
ISSN: 2504 – 9232
Volume 11, No. 1, March, 2026
Pages 16-30
DOI: 10.36108/wjss/6202.11.0120
ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY IN RESOLVING NIGERIA’S ELECTRICITY DEFICIT
Abdulrauf Ambali1, Ibrahim O. Salawu2, Abdullahi Alabi3, Daniel U. Akubo4 and Emmanuel Lambe5
1,2,3,4,5Department of Politics and Governance, Kwara State University, Malete, Nigeria
Abstract
Since the Industrial Revolution, electricity has been pivotal in building countries into development. However, Nigeria’s persistent electricity deficit has remained a critical barrier to its economic growth, industrial competitiveness, and social welfare despite decades of investment and reform. This study primarily examines the role of economic diplomacy in addressing Nigeria’s electricity deficit from 2014 to 2023. The research is anchored in Liberalism theory. The study adopts a mixed-methods design, combining quantitative analysis of energy production, transmission, and consumption data with qualitative content analysis of policy documents, project agreements, and stakeholder interviews. A major finding among others reveals that international partnerships, particularly bilateral agreements such as the Siemens Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) and multilateral efforts like the World Bank’s Power Sector Recovery Programme (PSRP), accounted for substantial technical and financial contributions (R² = 0.467, p < 0.001). Nevertheless, systemic challenges continue to undermine the effectiveness of foreign-backed interventions. The study concludes that economic diplomacy has been effective in mobilising resources and expertise but has fallen short of fundamentally resolving Nigeria’s electricity crisis.
Keywords: Energy, diplomacy, foreign policy, investment, infrastructure