Experts call for harmonised regulations, stronger local content, and integrated infrastructure to unlock Africa’s vast energy resources…..
Africa’s vast natural gas reserves remain largely untapped, largely due to fragmented markets and inconsistent fiscal and regulatory frameworks, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has said.
Speaking at the 9th Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) in Abuja, NUPRC Chief Executive Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan stressed the importance of the African Petroleum Regulators’ Forum (AFRIPERF) in standardising energy regulations across the continent and attracting large-scale investment into Africa’s oil and gas sector. The summit, themed “Energy for Peace and Prosperity: Securing Our Shared Future,” focused on accelerating Africa’s energy transformation through dialogue, sustainability, and regional growth.
Eyesan highlighted that many discovered natural gas reserves across Africa remain unsanctioned for development, pointing to uncoordinated policies and fragmented markets as major obstacles. She explained that coordinated policies, integrated infrastructure, and aligned regulatory frameworks could drive industrialisation, strengthen regional value chains, enhance energy security, and deliver inclusive growth.
The NUPRC chief called on African regulators to deepen cooperation, strengthen AFRIPERF, expand regional gas and electricity networks, adopt shared sustainability standards, and present a unified African stance in global energy and climate discussions. She noted that Africa holds roughly 8 percent of global oil and gas reserves, nearly 30 percent of known critical mineral resources, and a population exceeding 1.5 billion, mostly youthful and economically active.
“Investors are not deterred by Africa’s geology; they are deterred by inconsistent rules,” Eyesan said. “AFRIPERF was created to institutionalise regulatory convergence, provide predictability, and facilitate faster execution of cross-border projects that drive shared prosperity.”
She also praised Nigeria for setting an example on the continent through the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, ongoing transparent licensing rounds, and major gas infrastructure projects such as the AKK pipeline, the Nigeria–Morocco Gas Pipeline, and the revived Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline.
On local content, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, represented by Permanent Secretary Patience Oyekunle, highlighted the need to move beyond compliance to performance-driven local content. He stressed that local participation must translate into globally competitive indigenous gas companies, advanced technological capability, and sustainable value retention. Ekpo urged the government to provide stable policy signals while operators embed local capacity development into project design.
Minister of Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, emphasised that local content is central to Africa’s energy and industrial future. He noted that misapplied local content policies had previously driven Engineering, Procurement, and Construction companies away, raising project costs compared to other gas-producing nations. Lokpobiri said the government’s approach is to unite international and local firms, ensuring projects remain globally competitive while building domestic capacity.
He added that human capacity development is critical, noting initiatives by the NCDMB and PTDF to train local manpower for key roles in the oil and gas sector. Lokpobiri highlighted the NOGID Act’s financing provisions and called for practical collaboration between local and international firms, noting the industry has room for all players.
During a summit panel, NNPC Executive Vice President for Gas and New Energies, Olalekan Ogunleye, said gas infrastructure projects can attract funding if structured properly. He cited NLNG Train 7 as a model for effective capital expenditure management, cost competitiveness, and reduced gas flaring. Ogunleye highlighted the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, which spans 13 African countries directly, as an example of continental potential through integrated projects.
He further noted that NNPC’s role as a shareholder in Afreximbank and a driver of African energy pipelines allows the company to align financing with local realities, markets, and governance standards. “Gas as a commodity has matured, and gas infrastructure projects are absolutely financiable if structured appropriately,” Ogunleye said.
Representing the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Executive Secretary Felix Ogbe, through Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, highlighted the importance of competence, capacity utilisation, and collaboration in translating local content into industrial expertise. Over 10,000 youths are being trained in high-demand roles such as subsea engineering, automation, underwater welding, and drilling engineering, he said.
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