Kano Goes Dark as 48-Hour Blackout Brings Businesses to a Halt

Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano.

Kano, northern Nigeria’s commercial hub, was plunged into darkness from Wednesday through Thursday following a 48-hour power outage that crippled business activities and left residents struggling to cope with the extreme heat.

The blackout disrupted both formal and informal economies across the metropolis, with offices, markets, and small-scale industries forced to shut down or scale back operations as electricity supply failed to return.

Office workers who rely on electric water systems were among the hardest hit. Many had to resort to public conveniences, though most of those facilities were also closed due to lack of water. Those that remained open, with water available, sharply increased their prices.

Local water vendors and cold drink sellers were left idle while vendors, who depend on power to pump water for sale, could not operate, as those selling sachet water and iced drinks could not produce ice, a critical commodity as the city experiences intense hot weather.

Along Zoo Road, a tailor lamented how the outage forced him to break a promise to a customer. “He was supposed to collect his clothes on Wednesday. As it is now, I cannot afford to use fuel in my generator,” he said, pointing to the high cost of petrol that has made alternative power unaffordable for many artisans.

Similarly, Amina Yusuf, a traditional Fermented Milk and Millet seller (fura da nono), a popular local delicacy, expressed fear of losing her entire stock.

She said she nearly lost her dairy products as she could not find ice to keep them cool, a situation that could wipe out days of profit.

While many businesses counted their losses, others cashed in on the crisis. Phone charging shop operators who could afford to run generators exploited the situation, recording a surge in customers desperate to keep their devices powered, and charging higher fees.

As of Thursday evening, residents were still waiting for power to be restored, with many calling on the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) to address the prolonged outage that has brought economic life in the metropolis to a standstill.

As of the time of filing this report, calls placed to KEDCO officials for comment had not been responded.