Energy
Decade of Gas: Ekpo Moves for Regional Gas Development, Collaboration To unlock Africa’s vast natural gas potential and address persistent energy deficits, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, has moved for stronger regional collaboration intracontinent. This is even as Nigeria keeps pushing for Integrated Gas Market, Cross-Border Projects at the Ministerial Roundtable on Regional Gas Development and Cooperation in Africa, held in Abuja. At the event which had participation from the World Bank, Ekpo stressed that Africa’s energy future hinges not on the abundance of its resources but on collective action and coordinated strategies. Addressing ministers, development partners, and stakeholders, the minister highlighted the paradox of Africa’s energy landscape, noting that while the continent holds over 600 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves, more than 600 million people still lack access to electricity, with millions relying on traditional fuels for cooking. “This is not a question of resource availability, but one of coordination, infrastructure, and collective action,” he said. Ekpo described natural gas as a critical pathway to Africa’s self-reliance, capable of driving industrialisation, expanding energy access, and strengthening economic resilience. However, he emphasised that no single country can unlock this potential alone, underscoring regional cooperation as the cornerstone of sustainable development. He noted that Nigeria, with over 210 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, is advancing its “Decade of Gas” initiative to position itself as a regional hub through partnerships with other African nations. He cited key cross-border projects already demonstrating the benefits of collaboration, including the West African Gas Pipeline, Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline, Nigeria–Equatorial Guinea Gas Pipeline, and the Nigeria–Morocco Gas Pipeline. To scale up impact across the continent, Ekpo outlined four priority areas for deepened cooperation. These include the development of regional gas supply and market frameworks, with a shift from fragmented national systems to integrated markets featuring transparent pricing, aggregated demand, and efficient cross-border trade. The Minister also emphasised the need to expand gas-to-power and clean cooking initiatives to ensure that gas development translates into tangible benefits such as reliable electricity and improved living standards for citizens. On financing, the minister called for innovative, climate-aligned funding models, including blended finance structures, increased private sector participation, and stronger collaboration with international partners like the World Bank. Ekpo further stressed the importance of harmonising policy and regulatory frameworks across countries to reduce investment risks and accelerate project delivery, pointing to Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Act as a useful reference model. He described natural gas as Africa’s “transition fuel,” serving as a practical bridge for expanding energy access, supporting industrial growth, and lowering emissions intensity, while ensuring a just and inclusive energy transition. The minister urged that the Abuja roundtable should move beyond discussions to deliver concrete outcomes, including clearly defined areas of cooperation, identification of priority bankable cross-border projects, and the establishment of institutional mechanisms to drive implementation. Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment, Ekpo said the country stands ready to collaborate, invest, and provide leadership where necessary in building an integrated African gas market. He concluded that aligning vision, coordinating actions, and committing to shared progress would enable Africa to transform from a continent of stranded gas resources into one of integrated energy prosperity. “The future of Africa’s energy lies not in isolated pipelines, but in connected systems, shared markets, and collective ambition,” he said.
To unlock Africa’s vast natural gas potential and address persistent energy deficits, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, has moved for stronger regional collaboration intra-continent.
This is even as Nigeria keeps pushing for Integrated Gas Market, Cross-Border Projects at the Ministerial Roundtable on Regional Gas Development and Cooperation in Africa, held in Abuja. At the event which had participation from the World Bank, Ekpo stressed that Africa’s energy future hinges not on the abundance of its resources but on collective action and coordinated strategies.
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Addressing ministers, development partners, and stakeholders, the minister highlighted the paradox of Africa’s energy landscape, noting that while the continent holds over 600 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves, more than 600 million people still lack access to electricity, with millions relying on traditional fuels for cooking.
“This is not a question of resource availability, but one of coordination, infrastructure, and collective action,” he said.
Ekpo described natural gas as a critical pathway to Africa’s self-reliance, capable of driving industrialisation, expanding energy access, and strengthening economic resilience.
However, he emphasised that no single country can unlock this potential alone, underscoring regional cooperation as the cornerstone of sustainable development.
He noted that Nigeria, with over 210 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, is advancing its “Decade of Gas” initiative to position itself as a regional hub through partnerships with other African nations.
He cited key cross-border projects already demonstrating the benefits of collaboration, including the West African Gas Pipeline, Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline, Nigeria–Equatorial Guinea Gas Pipeline, and the Nigeria–Morocco Gas Pipeline.
To scale up impact across the continent, Ekpo outlined four priority areas for deepened cooperation. These include the development of regional gas supply and market frameworks, with a shift from fragmented national systems to integrated markets featuring transparent pricing, aggregated demand, and efficient cross-border trade.
The Minister also emphasised the need to expand gas-to-power and clean cooking initiatives to ensure that gas development translates into tangible benefits such as reliable electricity and improved living standards for citizens.
On financing, the minister called for innovative, climate-aligned funding models, including blended finance structures, increased private sector participation, and stronger collaboration with international partners like the World Bank.
Ekpo further stressed the importance of harmonising policy and regulatory frameworks across countries to reduce investment risks and accelerate project delivery, pointing to Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Act as a useful reference model.
He described natural gas as Africa’s “transition fuel,” serving as a practical bridge for expanding energy access, supporting industrial growth, and lowering emissions intensity, while ensuring a just and inclusive energy transition.
The minister urged that the Abuja roundtable should move beyond discussions to deliver concrete outcomes, including clearly defined areas of cooperation, identification of priority bankable cross-border projects, and the establishment of institutional mechanisms to drive implementation.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment, Ekpo said the country stands ready to collaborate, invest, and provide leadership where necessary in building an integrated African gas market.
He concluded that aligning vision, coordinating actions, and committing to shared progress would enable Africa to transform from a continent of stranded gas resources into one of integrated energy prosperity.
“The future of Africa’s energy lies not in isolated pipelines, but in connected systems, shared markets, and collective ambition,” he said.
With the completion of a nationwide gas-grid mapping exercise expected in October, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has revealed that the digital licensing round for gas distribution areas will happen before the end of 2026.
The Authority Chief Executive, Engr. Rabiu Umar, made the disclosure on Wednesday at the Gas Investment Forum 2026, themed “Positioning Nigeria as Africa’s Global Gas Powerhouse.”
Umar said applicants would bid for gas distribution licences in designated areas across the country under a process similar to the award of Oil Mining Licences (OMLs) in the upstream sector.
“Under the licensing round, applicants will bid for gas distribution licences in the gridded areas available across the country, in the same way licensees apply for Oil Mining Licences (OMLs) in the upstream sector,” he said.
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He said the initiative was part of efforts to move Nigeria from a fragmented gas-access system to an open-access regime that would allow more participants to use existing infrastructure.
“Without infrastructure, reserves are potential. They will continue to have potential,” Umar said.
“With infrastructure, gas becomes productivity and national resilience, especially in the light of the global headwinds that we see.”
According to him, the country needs infrastructure capable of moving gas from wellheads to processing plants, power stations, industrial clusters, transport corridors, homes and export terminals.
Umar said the Federal Government’s Decade of Gas Initiative was serving as an “engine of execution”, while NMDPRA was accelerating licences and approvals for gas processing plants, pipelines, storage facilities, compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects.
As part of efforts to position Ghana as a strategic hub for regional energy trade, MT Asharami Ghana, a 40,000-cubic-metre Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) carrier has delivered 5,000 metric tonnes of LPG in its maiden voyage to Ghana, thus boosting efforts to strengthen energy security, and LPG supply reliability.
Purpose-built to serve Ghana and neighbouring markets, MT Asharami Ghana forms part of Sahara Group’s integrated LPG infrastructure strategy across Africa.
Welcoming the vessel, Hon. Dr. John Abdulai Jinapor, Minister for Energy and Green Transition, described the arrival of MT Asharami Ghana as a major boost to Ghana’s clean energy ambitions.
“The arrival of MT Asharami Ghana represents a significant step forward in our quest to expand access to cleaner energy solutions for Ghanaians. As we work towards increasing LPG adoption across the country, investments like this are essential to strengthening supply reliability and achieving our clean cooking objectives.”
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The Minister said Ghana’s ambition of increasing LPG utilisation and improving energy security can only be achieved through strong partnerships between government and responsible private-sector investors.
“We commend Sahara Group for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Ghana over the years in supporting our aspirations for energy security, economic growth and sustainable development. The success of our energy transition journey depends on credible and committed partners.”
According to Wale Ajibade, Executive Director, Sahara Group, the vessel represents far more than an investment in maritime infrastructure.
Ajibade noted that Ghana’s target of increasing LPG adoption in 50 per cent of households by 2030, up from about 30 per cent today, makes investments in supply infrastructure increasingly important.
“At Sahara, we see MT Asharami Ghana as a symbol of confidence in Ghana’s future and the country’s growing role in regional energy trade. It reflects our unwavering belief in Ghana’s immense potential and our determination to work alongside stakeholders to deliver sustainable energy solutions that improve lives, create opportunities and drive inclusive growth.”
He added that the vessel is part of a broader, integrated infrastructure strategy combining shipping, storage, and downstream distribution to strengthen Ghana’s LPG value chain.
Yaa Serwaa Alifo, Managing Director, Asharami Ghana, described the vessel’s arrival as the culmination of a vision and a bold statement of the company’s commitment to Ghana’s energy future.
“What we are celebrating here is the culmination of a vision and a bold statement of our commitment to Ghana’s energy future. Asharami Ghana will help ensure that homes, businesses and families across Ghana have reliable access to cleaner cooking fuel,” she said.
Alifo acknowledged the support of the Government of Ghana, the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, the National Petroleum Authority, Sahara Group’s leadership, and all stakeholders whose collaboration helped bring the project to fruition.
As demand for LPG continues to grow across the sub-region, investments in marine infrastructure such as MT Asharami Ghana will become increasingly important in ensuring security of supply, operational efficiency, and sustainable economic growth.
The $800 million Final Investment Decision (FID) on the Ima Gas Project (IGP) has been described as a landmark development that affirms the growing viability of Nigeria’s upstream gas sector.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) flaunted the project, located offshore in OMLs 112 and 117 and developed by AMNI International in partnership with TotalEnergies, noting that it will produce about 300 million standard cubic feet of gas per day at peak.
It added that the output will supply critical feedgas to the Nigeria LNG Limited in support of its Train 7 expansion, which will increase capacity at the Bonny Island plant from 22 million tons per annum to 30 Mtpa.
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This was detailed in a statement in which the state oil major stressed that the FID was enabled by the presidential directives of 2024, which provided fiscal incentives for non-associated gas, streamlined contracting and lowered development costs.
Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPC Ltd, Bayo Ojulari described it as “a decisive vote of confidence in Nigeria’s gas sector and in the bold reforms” that have created competitive terms and a predictable investment environment.
The NNPC Ltd also commended the collaboration between AMNI, TotalEnergies and the Nigerian financial sector, saying the model of indigenous operator, international partner and domestic capital is a template for future developments.
“NNPC reaffirms its commitment to work with government, regulators and industry partners to sustain investment momentum and deploy Nigeria’s gas resources for industrialisation, job creation and long-term prosperity,” the statement added.
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