Energy
Clean Cooking: Sahara Group Advocates Pan African Investment In LPG Infrastructure
Leading sustainable energy and infrastructure conglomerate, Sahara Group, has emphasized the need for infrastructure development and collaboration among all stakeholders to accelerate accessibility, affordability, and adoption of clean cooking solutions in Africa.
Head, Business Development (Gas), Sahara Group, Ijeoma Isichei expressed the view in Paris, at the Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa, organised by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
She described the dearth of adequate infrastructure for cooking gas as the most daunting challenge to ramping up clean cooking across Africa.
“I believe that opportunity lies in the greatest challenge,” she stated, advocating more investment in this regard, through industry-led expansion programs, support from developed economies, and well-established public-private-partnerships, among others.
Biztellers reports that cooking gas, also known as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), is widely regarded as an efficient and clean-burning cooking fuel used by almost three billion people.
However, there is limited storage infrastructure to support the growing demand for LPG in Africa, making the region reliant on imports and shipping.
Isichei, who is also a senior management staff at WAGL Energy Limited (An NNPC Limited and Sahara Energy JV) said PPPs and alignment of LPG policies across the continent would further enhance access, affordability, and environmental sustainability.
She also called for more LPG advocacy platforms that would serve as a meeting point for governments, the private sector, and international organizations to give traction to global clean cooking solutions.
“I propose more public and private partnerships. A clear example would the partnership between Sahara Group and Petroci, the Côte d’Ivoire National Oil and Gas company towards the construction of 12,000MT LPG storage facilities in Côte d’Ivoire. All of this is being achieved with collaborations across the government and private sectors, with support from development agencies, WAGL and the NNPC,” she noted.
She stated that Sahara Group, through affiliations, provides access to LPG in Africa through its fleet of LPG vessels with combined capacity of 120,000cbm, whilst also working towards ramping up its LPG storage capacity to almost 100,000MT across Africa. Sahara Group’s LPG footprint also covers Asia, North and South America, she pointed out.
The CITAC estimates that by 2035 the demand for LPG in the Sub-Saharan region would almost triple, compared to current levels. According to the World Bank, regional economic blocs on the continent have set ambitious targets for LPG penetration and consumption to drive almost exclusive LPG deployment for cooking by 2030.
Isichei maintained that “To meet the growing demand, Africa would require sustainable investments in infrastructure to adequately cover import, bulk storage, transportation, filling facilities, LPG cylinders, seamless distribution, and retailing. Apart from providing a clean solution for cooking, this will help us advance towards a healthier Africa where currently, according to IEA estimates, wood and charcoal represent the primary cooking fuels of 1 billion people in Africa.”
She added that multi-stakeholder collaboration would also help improve awareness and LPG adoption as against biomass and kerosene and accelerate alignment of policies required to make LPG production, storage, transportation, and distribution seamless across Africa.
Oil output from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) rose to record levels in September, underscoring its resilience even amidst the Middle East crises and liberation from OPEC+ limits.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) issued the data in its monthly report, adding that Abu Dhabi raised total oil production, including condensates, by 400,000 bpd to 5.3 MMbpd.
According to the IEA, the UAE bolstered crude output to more than 4.4 MMbpd, nearing its maximum capacity, which surpasses the previous highs for total oil in August, and crude oil in June.
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The UAE has been one of the most successful among regional producers in restoring flows through the Strait of Hormuz, by drawing on a fleet of tankers to discreetly shuttle cargoes through the chokepoint and then transfer them onto other vessels. In addition, the country’s decision to leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as of May has freed it from the group’s output caps, a source of frustration for years.
Its gains contributed to a wider recovery in flows from Gulf producers, which reached more than 75% of pre-war levels in September, led by Saudi Arabia, according to the Paris-based IEA.
Still, it’s unclear how far the regional rebound has withstood a new wave of Iranian attacks on tankers transiting Hormuz, and escalating hostilities carried out by the Houthi rebel faction in Yemen.
The UAE depleted its observable above-ground inventories at a record pace of more than 270,000 bpd in September, drawing them to an all-time low, according to the IEA.
Africa’s gas potential and strengthening the continent’s energy security would take centre stage at the Africa Interviews Sustainability Forum (AISF 2026) scheduled for Wednesday, October 21, in Lagos.
Biztellers reports that top officials of Oando Plc and Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, Ayotola Jagun and Tony Attah, respectively, will be leading other industry leaders in the discussion.
Jagun, Oando’s Executive Director, Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer, and Attah, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, will participate in a panel discussion alongside Lamé Verre of Lean In Equity & Sustainability (LiNES) and Dapo Filani, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Waltersmith.
The panel will examine Africa’s energy security and the role of natural gas in the continent’s energy transition.
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The forum, launched in 2024, is holding its third edition under the theme, “Energy Security and Africa’s Energy Transition: Defining the Role of Gas.”
This year’s gathering will explore how African countries can strengthen energy security, attract investment in gas development and balance growing energy demand with sustainability objectives.
Verre, a London-based energy and sustainability executive, is Co-founder and Chair of the Advisory Board of LiNES. She will bring her international experience in sustainability, decarbonisation and low-carbon development to the discussion. Her work spans low-carbon initiatives across sectors, including marine, the built environment, forestry, land and agriculture.
Jagun brings extensive experience in corporate governance, regulatory compliance, enterprise risk management and sustainability. Her contribution will provide a corporate sustainability and governance perspective on the relationship between energy development, environmental responsibility and Africa’s transition priorities.
Attah, a former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria LNG Limited, has extensive experience in the oil and gas industry, particularly in natural gas development and major energy operations.
Filani leads Waltersmith, an indigenous Nigerian energy company with interests across the oil and gas value chain. His participation will highlight the role of indigenous energy companies in strengthening domestic energy capacity and supporting economic development.
The panel will consider what is required to unlock greater investment in Africa’s gas sector, how natural gas can support industrial growth while advancing sustainability, and what practical measures could help translate the continent’s energy ambitions into tangible outcomes.
Beyond the panel discussion, AISF 2026 will provide opportunities for engagement among senior energy executives, policymakers, investors and business leaders.
Oil prices on Monday went south, after crude exports from the Middle East rose above pre-war levels, while the Group of Seven nations pledged to release 100 million barrels of crude and diesel from emergency reserves.
Brent crude futures fell by $1.20, or 1.17 percent, to $101.05 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate crude declined by $1.16, or 1.27 percent, to $89.95 per barrel, according to Reuters.
Middle Eastern crude exports exceeded pre-war levels on four of the seven days in the final week of September, shipping data showed, despite attacks on vessels passing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The increase in exports, combined with the G7’s planned release of emergency stocks, helped put downward pressure on crude prices.
The G7 countries agreed on Friday to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude from emergency reserves and pledged to refrain from energy export restrictions following pressure from United States President Donald Trump.
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However, the scale of the additional supply remained uncertain.
IEA Executive Director, Fatih Birol, said last week that member countries had already released about two-thirds of the 400-million-barrel volume.
Meanwhile, supply concerns remained elevated as fighting continued across parts of the Middle East.
Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Officer, Amin Nasser, also warned that crude oil and refined fuel supplies were expected to remain stretched.
He said rebuilding global stockpiles after emergency withdrawals could take two years.
The United States Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell to 283 million barrels last week, its lowest level since October 1982, according to data from the US Department of Energy.
The supply outlook was further complicated by the continuing conflict involving Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen.
Yemeni government forces attacked Houthi positions in the Dhubab district overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Monday, according to two military sources.
The development came a day after the internationally recognised government launched a campaign to retake Houthi-held territory.
Meanwhile, OPEC+ postponed a review that would determine its 2027 oil output quotas after the war involving Iran disrupted projects aimed at expanding production capacity across the Middle East.
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