Nigeria Power Sector Program Quarterly Progress Report April 2, 2018 – June 30, 2018

The program is a task order under the Power Africa Expansion IDIQ, which builds on the success of the first phase of Power Africa in multiple countries across the African continent. NPSP represents a significant opportunity for USAID to create a lasting impact on Nigeria's crippled power sector. The program's senior leadership team, comprising the Chief of Party, Engagement Director, Senior Technical Advisor, and Project Senior Manager, conducted a project kick-off meeting with Power Africa in Pretoria, South Africa, in April 2018. The team then traveled to Abuja, Nigeria, to initiate the program and meet with other members of the start-up team. During the first quarter of work, NPSP focused on administrative start-up activities and assessing the state of the Nigerian power sector. The energy sector in Nigeria has undergone significant changes over the past two years, with the government gearing up for the 2019 presidential elections and several key ministries experiencing changes in leadership. The rapid currency devaluation has exacerbated the liquidity issue facing the market, and several donors are launching new programs that will impact the energy sector. The NPSP technical team connected with counterparts, potential partners, and other stakeholders in the sector to ensure that the Year 1 Workplan, submitted on July 2, 2018, captured the 2018 reality of the Nigerian power sector and proposed relevant interventions and activities. The team also connected with USAID Nigeria's existing energy sector programs, the Power Africa Transactions and Reforms Program (PATRP), and NARUC's advisory program to the Nigerian Energy Regulatory Commission (NERC). The connections made over the past three months significantly informed the design of the workplan, and future versions of the quarterly report will focus on providing an update on progress across the technical activities as NPSP moves into implementation. The NPSP Work Plan for Y1 will be approved, and Deloitte will use the quarterly report to add or revise upcoming activities during Year 1 in consultation with USAID. The program's outcomes include private sector investment in gas supply, power generation, and transmission, facilitating new off-grid connections to cleaner power supply, improving the enabling environment for private sector participation in the power sector, and improving liquidity to enable new grid connections. The program's technical accomplishments include assessing the state of the Nigerian power sector, connecting with counterparts and stakeholders, and designing the Year 1 Workplan. The program's crosscutting activities include finance and administration, operations, project staffing, subcontractors and procurements, and monitoring and evaluation. The program's organizational chart, staff mobilized during the quarter, and Year 1 workplan tables are included in the appendix of the report.