President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan gave 14 power companies formerly owned by the state to their new investors and companies. Control of the power firms were given to the investors that had already paid for their power utilities acquisitions in full. Some of the new owners included Siemens, Korea Electric Power Corp and Transnational Corp. According to privatization agency Bureau of Public Enterprises, the new owners paid over USD 2.5 billion for a 60% stake in Nigeria's power companies.

In a transfer ceremony in the capital of Abuja, Jonathan said the move was a major step in making the Nigerian electricity sector more efficient and competitive. "We do not expect the sector to be revitalized overnight but we can all look forward to a better time very soon."

According to Bloomberg, blackouts occurred daily in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa. With a population of over 160 million people, the demand for electricity is twice that of its current supply of only 4,000 megawatts.