AI Will Solve Nigeria’s Electricity Problem—Female Engineers Tell Power Minister

The Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) have disclosed that AI-powered smart grids can enable real-time monitoring, demand forecasting, and load balancing, ensuring a more efficient and stable power supply.

APWEN President, Dr Adebisi Osim urged the Federal Government through the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, to use Artificial Intelligence (AI), to address the challenges of the power sector.

Osim gave the advice at the inauguration of the Chairman of Ogbomoso Chapter of the association.

Osim, who was represented by Prof. Temitope Odetoye, a member of the association, said that AI had unprecedented opportunities to address the challenges in the power sector head-on and revolutionise it.

She said, “Advanced analytics and machine learning could optimise the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity, by analysing vast amounts of data and identifying patterns, vulnerabilities, and areas for improvement.”

“As we all know, the power sector plays a vital role in the socio-economic development of any nation,” Osim said.

“But Nigeria’s power sector has long grappled with various impediments that have hindered its progress.”

“These challenges range from inadequate generation capacity, ageing infrastructure, and limited access to clean and renewable energy sources, to issues of corruption, policy bottlenecks, and inefficient distribution systems.”

“But today, we stand at a turning point. We stand on the threshold of a new era, an era marked by the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI).”

“With AI solutions, we can tackle the technical aspects of the power sector with greater precision and efficiency.

“Predictive maintenance models can help us pre-emptively address equipment failures, reduce downtime, and enhance overall system reliability,” she said.

Osim said that AI could also play a significant role in addressing the non-technical aspects of the power sector.

“With the power of AI, we can improve energy access, affordability, and equity by developing innovative solutions for metering, billing, and revenue collection.

Osim, however, cautioned that with the acceptability of AI, the challenges it presented must also be confronted.

She said that the deployment of AI technologies required a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework, to address concerns of privacy, data protection, and ethics.

“We must guard against biases and ensure that AI solutions are developed inclusively, considering the diverse needs and perspectives of our society,” the president said.