Lagos — A new study has revealed that Nigeria tops African nations with the most business power outages, depicting the resultant monetary losses incurred.
Nearly 2 billion people worldwide watched the Africa Cup of Nations over the past month, and last Sunday’s final will have tested the resolve of many power networks. With this in mind, the team at Utility Bidder have revealed the African countries with the most power outages – six of which feature in the global top 10!
Top 10 African countries with the most annual business-related power cuts
Rank | Country | Most Recent Edition of Data | Number of Monthly Power Outages | Value Lost to Power Cuts (% of sales) | Annual Number of Power Outages |
1 | Nigeria | 2014 | 32.8 | 15.6% | 394 |
2 | Central African Republic | 2011 | 29.0 | 25.1% | 348 |
3 | Benin | 2016 | 28.0 | 9.4% | 336 |
4 | Niger | 2017 | 22.0 | 5.5% | 264 |
5 | Republic of the Congo | 2009 | 21.5 | 16.4% | 258 |
6 | The Gambia | 2018 | 21.1 | 14.2% | 253 |
7 | Burundi | 2014 | 16.6 | 3.4% | 199 |
8 | Zambia | 2019 | 13.3 | 18.8% | 160 |
9 | DR Congo | 2013 | 12.3 | 7.8% | 148 |
10 | Burkina Faso | 2009 | 9.8 | 5.8% | 118 |
According to the most recent data, firms in Nigeria experience almost 33 power outages a month, equating to around 394 yearly – the third highest of any country on the list. Widespread blackouts have become common in Nigeria as the national electricity grid supply is unreliable.
Compared with the rest of the world, only Papua New Guinea and Yemen record more power outages per year on average.
Papua New Guinea experiences more business-related power outages than any other country on our list with a 2023 survey showing that less than a quarter of residents in Papua New Guinea have access to electricity. The minority of people who have access to electricity in the country face regular issues, evidenced by the 503 power outages in this country every year.
With 466 power outages per year across firms, Yemen is second on the list. It is no secret that this country has recently struggled to cope with its electricity demands. Over the last year, some reports have claimed that Yemen’s capital, Aden, has experienced power outages which have lasted almost a day.
