More than 180 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of proven natural gas discovered across Africa has yet to be developed, largely because of fragmented markets and poorly aligned fiscal and regulatory frameworks, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has disclosed.
The Commission’s Chief Executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, made this known while delivering the keynote address at the 9th Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) in Abuja. She stressed that regulatory inconsistencies, rather than resource limitations, continue to slow investment decisions and project execution across the continent.
Speaking on the role of the African Petroleum Regulators’ Forum (AFRIPERF), Eyesan said the platform remains critical to harmonising energy regulations, improving investor confidence, and facilitating cross-border oil and gas developments.
The summit, themed “Energy for Peace and Prosperity: Securing Our Shared Future,” brought together policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders to discuss pathways for accelerating Africa’s energy transition while strengthening regional resilience and sustainability.
Eyesan noted that despite Africa’s vast gas discoveries, many projects remain unsanctioned due to market fragmentation and mismatched regulatory regimes. She argued that aligning policies, developing shared infrastructure, and coordinating regulatory approaches would help transform these resources into engines of industrial growth.
“When backed by coordinated policies, integrated infrastructure and consistent regulations, Africa’s gas resources can support industrialisation, deepen regional value chains, improve energy security and promote inclusive economic growth,” she said.
She called on African regulators to intensify collaboration through AFRIPERF, expand interconnected gas and power networks, adopt common sustainability benchmarks, and project a united African voice in global energy and climate negotiations.
According to her, Africa accounts for about eight per cent of global oil and gas reserves, nearly 30 per cent of known critical mineral deposits, and has a population of over 1.5 billion people, most of whom are young and economically active.
“Investors are not discouraged by Africa’s geology; they are discouraged by regulatory uncertainty,” Eyesan said, adding that AFRIPERF was created to promote regulatory convergence, enhance predictability, and fast-track cross-border energy projects.
She also highlighted Nigeria’s progress in providing leadership on the continent, pointing to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, transparent licensing rounds, and major gas infrastructure initiatives such as the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) pipeline, the Nigeria–Morocco Gas Pipeline, and the revived Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline.
In a separate session on local content, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, represented by Permanent Secretary Patience Oyekunle, said Africa must move beyond compliance-driven local content policies to performance-based frameworks that build globally competitive indigenous companies.
He observed that while existing policies have increased participation, they have not always delivered strong technological capacity or long-term value retention within local economies.
Ekpo called for a new partnership model in which government provides clear and stable policy direction, while industry players deliberately embed capacity development into project execution.
Also speaking, the Minister of Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, underscored the importance of local content to Africa’s industrial future, noting that poor implementation in the past had discouraged Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) firms and pushed up project costs.
He said the government is now focused on fostering collaboration between international and indigenous companies to ensure competitiveness while strengthening local capacity.
Lokpobiri stressed that human capital development remains central to this effort, citing training programmes by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), which he said has shifted emphasis from scholarships to skills development needed within the industry.
He also referenced financing provisions in the NOGID Act, urging stronger collaboration between local and foreign firms, and noting that the sector is large enough to accommodate all players.
Meanwhile, Executive Vice President, Gas and New Energies at Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Olalekan Ogunleye, said gas infrastructure projects are commercially viable and attractive to financiers when properly structured.
He cited the Nigeria LNG Train 7 project as an example of efficient capital management, cost discipline, and reduced gas flaring.
“Financiers gain confidence when gas producers and key off-takers have equity participation in projects. Flexibility and inclusiveness are critical to attracting funding,” Ogunleye said.
He also referenced the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, which directly connects 13 African countries and indirectly links three others, as evidence of the potential of integrated continental gas infrastructure.
According to him, NNPC’s shareholder position in Afreximbank and its involvement in regional pipeline projects enable better alignment between financing structures, market realities, and governance frameworks.
“Gas has reached maturity as a commodity, and gas infrastructure projects are fully bankable when structured correctly,” Ogunleye stated.
In his contribution, Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Felix Ogbe, represented by Director of Corporate Services, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, said competence, collaboration, and optimal capacity utilisation are key to translating local content policies into industrial excellence.
He revealed that over 10,000 young Nigerians are currently being trained in critical oil and gas skills such as subsea engineering, automation, underwater welding, drilling engineering, and related specialisations.
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