Key points
- Power expert says consumers are willing to pay electricity bills when metering is transparent and accurate.
- He says poor metering continues to undermine revenue collection and worsen liquidity challenges in the power sector.
- Q-Tech says its smart metering solutions improve billing transparency and revenue assurance for DisCos.
Main story
A power sector expert, Mr Ayotomiwa Adekahunsi, says consumers are more willing to pay for electricity when they are accurately and transparently metered.
Adekahunsi, Chief Executive Officer of Q-Tech Nigeria Limited, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said a survey conducted by the company showed that many electricity consumers were prepared to settle their bills once they had confidence in the accuracy and transparency of the metering system.
According to him, poor metering remains one of the major challenges confronting Nigeria’s electricity sector.
Adekahunsi said accurate metering was critical to securing revenue across the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), where liquidity challenges continue to affect operators.
He noted that electricity generated, transmitted and distributed was often not paid for accurately, a situation he warned could threaten the sustainability of some industry players.
The power expert said improving metering would enable electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and the government to recover revenue more effectively while supporting improvements in electricity supply.
He disclosed that Q-Tech had already deployed smart meters to some DisCos, with a focus on government institutions and large corporate organisations.
According to him, these customer categories account for a significant portion of aggregate, technical and commercial losses within the electricity market.
He explained that the company’s smart metering platform combines intelligent meters with software and analytics tools to provide real-time visibility into electricity consumption, billing and payments.
Adekahunsi said the platform allows customers to monitor their daily and monthly electricity usage, making the billing process more transparent.
He added that increasing demand for smarter technologies reflected the evolving needs of Nigeria’s electricity sector for greater efficiency, accountability and transparency.
He said Q-Tech would continue expanding its expertise in intelligent metering, automation and conventional electrical engineering to help address the sector’s liquidity challenges.
The issues
Nigeria’s electricity sector continues to face significant liquidity challenges, partly driven by inadequate metering, revenue losses and disputes over estimated billing. Industry stakeholders have consistently identified smart metering as a key solution for improving revenue collection and consumer confidence.
What’s being said
Adekahunsi said consumers were willing to pay for electricity when billing was transparent and based on accurate metering.
He added that intelligent metering and data analytics would help DisCos secure revenue, reduce losses and improve accountability across the electricity value chain.
What’s next
Q-Tech plans to expand the deployment of its smart metering solutions to support revenue assurance, improve billing transparency and strengthen the financial sustainability of Nigeria’s electricity sector.
Bottom line
Accurate and transparent metering remains central to addressing the liquidity challenges facing Nigeria’s power sector, with improved billing systems expected to boost consumer confidence and strengthen revenue collection.
