Ghana and Nigeria always seem to have some form of rivalry going on.

In recent times, our rivalry has been about who makes better jollof rice, and we've had celebrities from Ed Sheeran to Mr Eazi weigh in on the argument. It's usually lighthearted banter, but sometimes the discussion can get heated.

However, the Nigeria-Ghana jollof wars are nothing compared to the feuds we've had in the past.

Both countries have experienced different periods of economic prosperity where citizens of one country would migrate en masse to the other, followed by periods of economic downturns when federal governments would expel citizens back to their countries. Ghana deported Nigerian citizens back in 1969, and Nigerians followed suit in 1983 when Ghanaians had to pack their belongings in "Ghana must go" bags.
 

Some takeaways:

  • Nigeria and Ghana have a lot of similarities, but one sector where we differ is electricity. 84% of Ghana's population has electricity access, while only 55% of Nigerians have access.

  • Ghana suffers from the same liquidity issues as Nigeria. But electrification policies and international funding have been the primary drivers of Ghana's electrification rates. 

  • Ghana is predicted to reach full electrification by 2030, and by learning from Ghana's successes, Nigeria's power sector could one day catch up with Ghana's.


Ghana and Nigeria have a fascinating shared history with competitive undertones. But there's one sector where Ghana seems to be doing a lot better than Nigeria, and that's electricity.

One of the things Nigerians always comment on is how Ghanaians have reliable electricity. Despite our "Giant of