Many of us may be familiar with the ‘power is power’ quote from the popular series, Game of Thrones. The quote was by queen Cersei to Littlefinger. Now, although the scene of the quote was quite enthralling, Cersei was very correct.
In the global scene, countries individually seek ways to improve their economies. Some may say the race for economic development is unfair and even unnecessary. However, it is very necessary.
Over decades, the definition of power has remained constant, although the contexts may have differed. In the olden days, the most powerful people were the leaders of empires and conquerors. In the world today, thye most powerful are countries with the most developed economies.
However, economic development does not just lie around; it must be attained. Certain factors help build growth in any economy, including energy access (power), education, policies and structure, among others. Here, Cersei’s quote can be applied.
Also, there must be a cumulative progression in all the industries for any country’s economy to progress.
These conditions must first be available in any country for economic development to occur. In Nigeria, however, there is a huge energy access gap despite energy being very important to increase any country’s development. In this case, electricity access is equivalent to economic growth, literally.
Every sector of every economy depends greatly on the availability of electricity. Healthcare, manufacturing, education, telecoms, security, and more depend on power to run on. The electricity access gap in industries leads to poor productivity, inflation, high living costs etc., and these all translate into economic decline.
Essentially, a country’s economic development can be linked to the amount of power (the electrical kind), among other variables. So, Cersei knew what she was saying when she said that quote.