Electricity supply efficiency in Nigeria: A case of electricity distribution companies

This paper examines the technical efficiency of electricity supply across eleven electricity distribution companies using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The analysis was performed with a recent and extended data from 2015 to 2019. The output indicator for calculating electricity supply efficiency is electricity supply proxy by energy received by each electricity distribution company. The input indicators are network losses (proxy by transmission losses) and aggregate technical commercial and collection losses (ATC&C). Empirical findings were reinforcing and in line with other findings in the literature. The results show that all electricity distribution utilities are technically inefficient in electricity supply to a varying degree. Four electricity distribution companies performed above 65 percent level of technical efficiency, while two operate at less than 70 percent. Thus, privatization has not eradicated technical inefficiencies in the electricity supply. The inefficiencies in the electricity sector are partly due to technical and commercial limitations