Petrol and power across Africa: Nigeria's petrol is among the cheapest, its Band A power is not

How much does a litre of petrol or a unit of electricity cost a Nigerian compared with people elsewhere on the continent? We took the latest official or widely reported prices from nine countries, turned them into dollars at a dated exchange rate, and then into naira at ₦1,348 to the dollar, the official rate on 4 November.

The short answer: Nigerian petrol is cheap by African standards. Band A electricity is not.

Petrol: what a litre costs

Ranked from cheapest to dearest, in dollars, with the naira equivalent:

1. Egypt, 92 octane: EGP 22.25, about $0.41 (₦560). The price has been unchanged since March, and the government's pricing committee held it again on 15 October.
2. Nigeria, NNPC stations: ₦1,360 in Lagos (3 November) and ₦1,405 in Abuja (28 October), about $1.01 to $1.04.
3. Ghana, Star Oil: GH¢16.38 for 1 to 15 November, about $1.42 (₦1,910). Other Ghanaian marketers sell at different prices.
4. Côte d'Ivoire: 905 FCFA, unchanged for November, about $1.54 (₦2,080).
5. Tanzania, Dar es Salaam cap: TSh 4,083 from 4 November, about $1.55 (₦2,080).
6. Zambia: K33.06 for November, up from K31.46, about $1.62 (₦2,190).
7. Senegal: 990 FCFA since 15 August, about $1.69 (₦2,280).
8. Kenya, Nairobi cap: KSh 226.96 from 15 October to 14 November, about $1.75 (₦2,360).
9. South Africa, 95 unleaded inland: R30.24 from 4 November, about $1.82 (₦2,450). That already includes a R1.50 cut in the fuel levy for November.

So a Nairobi motorist pays roughly 70 per cent more per litre than a Lagos motorist, once both prices are in dollars. A South African pays about 80 per cent more.

Egypt is the outlier. Its prices are set by a state committee, not by the market, and they sit far below the rest of the group.

Electricity: what a unit costs at home

Electricity is harder to compare. Most countries charge different rates for different amounts of use, and add taxes, levies and fixed charges in different ways. To keep it fair, we took the energy rate a typical small or middle household pays per kWh. For tiered tariffs we used the band covering about 100 kWh a month, enough for a fridge, a TV, fans and lights.

1. Egypt, first 100 kWh: 68 piastres for the first 50 kWh and 78 for the next 50, an average of EGP 0.73. That is about $0.014 per kWh (₦18). Egyptians who use more pay more, up to EGP 2.58 for use above 1,000 kWh.
2. Senegal, prepaid, up to 150 kWh: 82 FCFA, about $0.14 (₦189).
3. Nigeria, Band A: ₦209.50, about $0.155.
4. Kenya, 30 to 100 units: a base rate of KSh 16.50 plus October's fuel and exchange-rate charges of about KSh 4.10, so about KSh 20.60 before VAT and other levies. That is about $0.159 (₦214).
5. South Africa, Eskom Homelight 20A: R2.703 including VAT, about $0.162 (₦219). Many South Africans buy from their municipality instead, at rates that vary by city.
6. Ghana, residential up to 300 kWh: GH¢1.9688 from April, raised 3.49 per cent in July and held for the last quarter of the year. That works out to about GH¢2.04, or $0.176 (₦238).

At these rates, 100 kWh costs ₦20,950 on Band A. The same amount would cost about ₦21,400 in Kenya, ₦21,900 in South Africa and ₦23,800 in Ghana, before most taxes. In Egypt it would cost about ₦1,800.

What the numbers do not show

Supply. Band A customers are promised at least 20 hours of power a day. Customers on Bands B to E pay less per unit but are promised fewer hours. See our guide to the bands. A low price per unit means little if the power is off.

Income. A litre at $1.01 is cheap in dollar terms, but most Nigerians earn in naira. What matters at home is how much of a day's pay a litre takes, and this comparison does not measure that.

Exchange rates move. Our rates are from 23 October to 5 November. For Ghana we used the Bank of Ghana's September interbank rate of GH¢11.55. At forex bureau rates the cedi is weaker, which would make Ghana's prices look a little cheaper in dollars.

Who is left out. We also looked at Ethiopia, and at electricity in Tanzania, Zambia and Côte d'Ivoire. We could not confirm current figures from an official source or two independent reports, so we left them out rather than guess.

What it means for you

• If you drive in Nigeria, you pay less per litre than drivers in seven of the eight other countries we checked, once prices are in dollars. In dollar terms our petrol is not unusually dear. What makes it hurt is what people earn in naira.
• If you are on Band A, you pay about what Kenyan, South African and Ghanaian households pay per unit. The fair question to ask your DisCo is whether you are getting the 20 hours a day that the rate is meant to buy. NERC has ordered DisCos to compensate Band A customers whose supply falls short.
• Egypt's petrol is cheap partly because the state still pays for some of it. Its cabinet said in March that the government "continues to bear a substantial share of the cost." Nigeria ended its petrol subsidy in 2023, so prices here follow crude oil and the exchange rate.

How we did this

We used pump prices and household tariffs published by regulators or reported by at least one named outlet in each country, listed below. Each price was divided by that currency's rate to the dollar, then multiplied by ₦1,348 to get the naira figure. Exchange rates: Ghana GH¢11.55 (Bank of Ghana, September), Kenya KSh 129.91 (27 October), South Africa R16.65 (26 October), Egypt EGP 53.90 (5 November), Tanzania TSh 2,640.73 (week to 30 October), Zambia K20.37 (end of October), and the CFA franc 585.97 (23 October). Figures are rounded.