In a significant expansion of private sector investment in Nigeria’s electricity market, Welbeck Electricity Distribution Limited has launched a 50-megawatt power project at the Idu Industrial Estate in the Federal Capital Territory, with Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Afolabi O. Aiyela positioning the project as part of a broader effort to make reliable electricity available to industries and communities across the country.
For Aiyela, the project represents more than an addition to Nigeria’s power infrastructure. It reflects the central vision of Welbeck Electricity Distribution Limited to develop practical power solutions capable of supporting businesses, industrial activity and other sectors that depend on dependable electricity. Welbeck has previously developed independent power solutions for specific communities and commercial users, with Aiyela advocating greater private sector participation in addressing Nigeria’s electricity deficit.
Speaking at the launch, Chief Aiyela, said the Idu project was part of the company’s commitment to ensuring that power becomes more visible and accessible across different sectors of the Nigerian economy. The 50MW facility is expected to strengthen electricity supply to the industrial hub and support businesses operating within the area.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, commended Welbeck and Aiyela for investing in the sector and encouraged more Nigerians and private investors to participate in power development. Tegbe, identified increased generation capacity, improved infrastructure and accelerated investment as priorities for the Federal Government’s electricity agenda.
The minister also assured the company of the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and the Ministry of Power, with the aim of ensuring that the project is fully optimised to deliver its’ intended benefits to Nigerians.
The Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, also welcomed the development, noting that the Idu Industrial Estate had already been identified for power development during a previous ministerial roundtable. He described the Welbeck project as timely and consistent with the government’s broader industrial development objectives.
A representative of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, meanwhile, acknowledged Aiyela’s efforts through Welbeck and expressed confidence that the project would contribute to more regular electricity supply and distribution for residents and businesses in the area.
For the company, the Idu project is also a continuation of its’ strategy of using dedicated power solutions to serve industrial and commercial users, rather than relying solely on the national grid. Welbeck describes its’ model as providing power solutions to end users in conjunction with generating partners.
