Aba Power to Create 350 New Jobs With Mass Prepaid Meter Rollout

Aba Power, Nigeria’s newest electric company distribution company (DisCo), is creating over 350 jobs with its new prepaid meter rollout that will start this month, according to the utility firm.

 Edise Ekong, the Aba Power Brand and Communication Senior Manager, said today that jobs would come directly from its partnerships with three-meter producers.

 “Each of the meter vendor partners”, Ekong explained, “ is creating over 100 direct jobs,, including meter assemblers, meter installers, apart from transporters, warehouse hands, security, and others who will be impacted positively by the rollout.

 “Kayz Consortium, for instance, is, in addition, bringing eight expatriates this month to lead its 130-man workforce in assembling 90,000 meters from April to December 2025 for Aba Power customers.

“The expatriates will return to their home country when they conclude their supervision of the meter assembling, having trained enough of our people to continue assembling and installing the meters. These are representatives of the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) from China, and their presence ensures quality assurance in assembling and installing the meters in the field.”

 Ekong quoted the Kays Consortium Managing Director, Prince Kalu, as revealing that the meters would be assembled in the Aba Power premises in the Osisoma Industrial layout in Aba from the middle of April.

 The communication manager named the other firms that will start installing meters from May as Chint and Eve Electric,  each working with 34 installers.

Chint Power and Energy Services of China and Eve Electric, also of China, will start their mass meter installation next month. 

These companies will be joined by local meter manufacturing companies, including HAMPOC Utilities Limited and M E Meters, in the fast metering project of Aba Power Power which services nine of the 17 local government areas (LGAs) in Abia State.

The two companies will install 20,000 prepaid meters within 4 weeks of their arrival, Ekong disclosed, adding that the 20,000 meters installed by Kayz in April “will make many in the Aba Ring-fenced Rea covering nine of the 17 local government areas (LGAs) in Abia State have meters and will help end complaints about the estimated billing system.

 “We are committed to providing enough meters to all our over 350,000 customers in the Aba Ring-fenced Area with modern prepaid meters within one year.

 “Meters make for transparency and accountability, making our customers and our company happy and satisfied.

“It is truly a win-win for every party”.Africa’s gas consumption to hit 183bn cubic meters– Report

The Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) says Africa’s natural gas consumption will hit 183 billion cubic meters (bcm), marking a three per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) increase.

The GECF says Africa’s gas consumption is expected to grow by four per cent, fuelled by ongoing industrialisation, increased demand in the power sector, and the expansion of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

The forum made this known on Tuesday in its 2025 Annual Gas Market Report (AGMR) made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The report said Algeria and Egypt, representing together over 60 per cent of the regional market, were the primary drivers of this growth, with demand fuelled by the industrial and electricity sectors.

According to the report, Nigeria also contributed significantly, particularly through its expanding gas-to-power projects.

It said the power sector remained the dominant force behind gas consumption across the continent, as governments focused on improving electricity access and reliability.

“Looking ahead to 2025, Africa’s gas consumption is expected to grow by four per cent, fuelled by ongoing industrialisation, increased demand in the power sector, and the expansion of LNG regasification terminals in key markets such as South Africa.

“As the region works to strengthen energy security and reduce reliance on coal and oil, natural gas will continue to play a crucial role in Africa’s evolving energy mix.

“Several developments in the region are poised to boost gas consumption.

“Various countries, including South Africa and Ghana, are investing in LNG import infrastructure and pipeline projects to meet the growing demand for gas in industrial and power generation sectors.

“At the same time, as many countries expand their renewable energy capacity, they are also prioritising the development of natural gas supply to ensure grid stability during periods of low renewable output,” the report said.

It said that in spite of the ongoing efforts, several challenges continue to hinder the ability to meet growing gas consumption needs, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

It highlighted key obstacles to include inadequate gas infrastructure, a conflict between prioritising domestic gas use and fulfilling export commitments, limited energy access, especially in remote areas, and difficulty in securing financing for gas development projects.

The report said overcoming these challenges required coordinated efforts in policy-making, investment and infrastructure development.

NAN reports that the GECF is an intergovernmental organisation established in May 2001 but became a fully-fledged organisation in 2008, with headquarters in Doha, the State of Qatar.

As of April 2025, the GECF gathers 20 countries, including 12 full members and eight observer members (hereafter referred to as the GECF Member Countries) from four continents.

Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela have the status of full members, while Angola,Azerbaijan, Iraq, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Peru and Senegal have the status of observer members.

In accordance with the GECF statute, it aims to support the sovereign rights of its member countries over their natural gas resources and their abilities to develop, preserve and use such resources for the benefit of their people.