Energy
Energy access is vital to peace and security – Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy
BANJUL – The Vice President of The Gambia, Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy, has said that availability and access to modern energy services is not only vital to reducing poverty in West Africa but also critical in maintaining peace and security.
She made the declaration while delivering the keynote address at the opening of the two-day 4th ERERA Forum on Wednesday, 20th November 2013 in Banjul, The Gambia. The Forum is being attended by some 150 participants including regulators, operators, power experts and consumers in the electricity sector
According to her, there can be no meaningful and sustainable development without adequate, reliable and sustainable energy, considering that the region is blessed with some of the richest energy resources including oil, gas, coal, large hydro and abundant sources of renewable energy.
The Vice President however lamented the fact that ECOWAS Member States have been “pursuing our individual national energy policies without exploring the benefits of economies of scale”.
As a founding member of ECOWAS, The Gambia, she said, has “always believed in the benefits of regional integration as the best way of efficiently and sustainably exploiting and managing our resources for the common good of all our citizens”.
She recalled joint regional projects between The Gambia and her neighbours, and said that when completed, they would improve electricity supply as well as greatly enhance the socio-economic development of the region and enhance the integration of Community citizens.
While noting a paradigm shift through the creation of such institutions as ERERA, the West African Power Pool (WAPP) and the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), which has led to the implementation of various developmental projects in the region, the Vice President urged the ECOWAS Commission to continue in the development and implementation of more projects for the benefit of the people. In this regard, she called for the development of new renewable energy technologies in such projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Dr. Njie-Saidy who noted that electricity regulation was relatively new in the ECOWAS region, called on ERERA to help Member States build their capacity, noting that they had different levels of competence in regulation.
In his remarks, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Kadré Desiré Ouédraogo, described the performance in the power sector in Member States as unsatisfactory and unable to attract appreciable level of private investment despite the implementation of power sector reforms.
He recalled the many initiatives by ECOWAS to address the energy challenge, including the adoption of the 2003 regional Energy Protocol and the attendant actions undertaken resulting in the establishment of the West African Gas Pipeline Authority, the WAPP Secretariat, ECREEE and ERERA.
The President – represented by his Special Representative to Cote d’Ivoire, Ambassador Jonathan Oluwole Coker – noted ERERA’s contribution in the implementation of the roadmap leading to the regional electricity market, the hallmark being the adoption of the Directive on the organization of the regional electricity market by the ECOWAS Council of Ministers in June 2013.
He called on ECOWAS’ partners to continue assisting ERERA in the discharge of its mandate and support it in the implementation of its strategic objectives.
“ECOWAS desires that regional regulation should help to improve governance by supporting the liberalization of exchanges and by promoting respect of contracts and sectoral standards by all partners”, the President stated.
Also addressing the participants, the Chairman of ERERA, El Hadj Ibrahima Thiam, enumerated the major activities of the Institution since its operationalization in 2010. While stating that energy is an important engine of economic growth, he described access to electricity as an essential catalyst for social development.
Furthermore, he stated that regulation is fundamental to the development of the electricity market in West Africa, adding that efficient regulation is critical to the optimal functioning of the electricity market.
He said the annual ERERA Forum is in response to the strong need for a permanent platform for dialogue among stakeholders towards the creation of favourable conditions for the mobilization of human and financial resources necessary for the development of infrastructure for the production and transportation of electricity.
El Hadj Thiam expressed confidence that the exchange of ideas at the Forum would lead to pertinent recommendations towards new levels of the flow of efficient and sustainable regional electricity.
In her statement, the Minister of Energy of The Gambia, Mrs. Teneng Mba Jaiteh, argued that the provision of electricity should no longer be considered the sole responsibility of governments due to the huge investments required and the limited and competitive nature of donor funds.
She said the private sector should be encouraged to invest in the energy sub-sector through the development of the right policy, legal and regulatory frameworks, as well as the visibility of efficient and financially viable power utility companies.
As generation of electricity increasingly becomes a private sector activity, utility companies can focus on enhancing and improving transmission and distribution networks and sale of electricity to consumers, Mrs. Jaiteh said.
According to her, it would make ERERA’s role even more critical in ensuring that regional trade in energy and electricity services is facilitated and encouraged. It would also require the development of trans-border infrastructure; that is, transmission networks inter-connecting countries in the region and the creation of grid codes, she added.
Similarly, the minister said it would reveal the vital role of national regulatory authorities in ensuring a level-playing field for investors, distributors and consumers.
Participants at the 4th ERERA Forum being hosted by The Gambia are to examine the place, roles and responsibilities of ERERA and the national regulators in speeding up the establishment of a regional electricity market in West Africa through the theme, ‘Fast-tracking the regional electricity market: the regulatory issues’.
BANJUL – The Vice President of The Gambia, Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy, has said that availability and access to modern energy services is not only vital to reducing poverty in West Africa but also critical in maintaining peace and security.
She made the declaration while delivering the keynote address at the opening of the two-day 4th ERERA Forum on Wednesday, 20th November 2013 in Banjul, The Gambia. The Forum is being attended by some 150 participants including regulators, operators, power experts and consumers in the electricity sector
According to her, there can be no meaningful and sustainable development without adequate, reliable and sustainable energy, considering that the region is blessed with some of the richest energy resources including oil, gas, coal, large hydro and abundant sources of renewable energy.
The Vice President however lamented the fact that ECOWAS Member States have been “pursuing our individual national energy policies without exploring the benefits of economies of scale”.
As a founding member of ECOWAS, The Gambia, she said, has “always believed in the benefits of regional integration as the best way of efficiently and sustainably exploiting and managing our resources for the common good of all our citizens”.
She recalled joint regional projects between The Gambia and her neighbours, and said that when completed, they would improve electricity supply as well as greatly enhance the socio-economic development of the region and enhance the integration of Community citizens.
While noting a paradigm shift through the creation of such institutions as ERERA, the West African Power Pool (WAPP) and the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), which has led to the implementation of various developmental projects in the region, the Vice President urged the ECOWAS Commission to continue in the development and implementation of more projects for the benefit of the people. In this regard, she called for the development of new renewable energy technologies in such projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Dr. Njie-Saidy who noted that electricity regulation was relatively new in the ECOWAS region, called on ERERA to help Member States build their capacity, noting that they had different levels of competence in regulation.
In his remarks, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Kadré Desiré Ouédraogo, described the performance in the power sector in Member States as unsatisfactory and unable to attract appreciable level of private investment despite the implementation of power sector reforms.
He recalled the many initiatives by ECOWAS to address the energy challenge, including the adoption of the 2003 regional Energy Protocol and the attendant actions undertaken resulting in the establishment of the West African Gas Pipeline Authority, the WAPP Secretariat, ECREEE and ERERA.
The President – represented by his Special Representative to Cote d’Ivoire, Ambassador Jonathan Oluwole Coker – noted ERERA’s contribution in the implementation of the roadmap leading to the regional electricity market, the hallmark being the adoption of the Directive on the organization of the regional electricity market by the ECOWAS Council of Ministers in June 2013.
He called on ECOWAS’ partners to continue assisting ERERA in the discharge of its mandate and support it in the implementation of its strategic objectives.
“ECOWAS desires that regional regulation should help to improve governance by supporting the liberalization of exchanges and by promoting respect of contracts and sectoral standards by all partners”, the President stated.
Also addressing the participants, the Chairman of ERERA, El Hadj Ibrahima Thiam, enumerated the major activities of the Institution since its operationalization in 2010. While stating that energy is an important engine of economic growth, he described access to electricity as an essential catalyst for social development.
Furthermore, he stated that regulation is fundamental to the development of the electricity market in West Africa, adding that efficient regulation is critical to the optimal functioning of the electricity market.
He said the annual ERERA Forum is in response to the strong need for a permanent platform for dialogue among stakeholders towards the creation of favourable conditions for the mobilization of human and financial resources necessary for the development of infrastructure for the production and transportation of electricity.
El Hadj Thiam expressed confidence that the exchange of ideas at the Forum would lead to pertinent recommendations towards new levels of the flow of efficient and sustainable regional electricity.
In her statement, the Minister of Energy of The Gambia, Mrs. Teneng Mba Jaiteh, argued that the provision of electricity should no longer be considered the sole responsibility of governments due to the huge investments required and the limited and competitive nature of donor funds.
She said the private sector should be encouraged to invest in the energy sub-sector through the development of the right policy, legal and regulatory frameworks, as well as the visibility of efficient and financially viable power utility companies.
As generation of electricity increasingly becomes a private sector activity, utility companies can focus on enhancing and improving transmission and distribution networks and sale of electricity to consumers, Mrs. Jaiteh said.
According to her, it would make ERERA’s role even more critical in ensuring that regional trade in energy and electricity services is facilitated and encouraged. It would also require the development of trans-border infrastructure; that is, transmission networks inter-connecting countries in the region and the creation of grid codes, she added.
Similarly, the minister said it would reveal the vital role of national regulatory authorities in ensuring a level-playing field for investors, distributors and consumers.
Participants at the 4th ERERA Forum being hosted by The Gambia are to examine the place, roles and responsibilities of ERERA and the national regulators in speeding up the establishment of a regional electricity market in West Africa through the theme, ‘Fast-tracking the regional electricity market: the regulatory issues’.
The 31 companies that emerged winners of 37 oil and gas blocks in the 2025 Licensing Round must pay their signature bonuses within the stipulated period or risk losing their provisional awards.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) handed down the warning on Sunday, one month after it hosted the commercial bid conference in Abuja, where the successful companies emerged as winners of the available blocks.
The NUPRC said the process of compliance with the payment of signature bonuses had commenced following the issuance of provisional awards to the successful bidders.
“Exactly a month ago, the NUPRC hosted the 2025 commercial bid conference in Abuja where 31 companies emerged winners of 37 oil and gas blocks. Having issued the winners with the provisional awards, compliance with the payment of signature bonuses has already begun.
“Winners who fail to pay signature bonuses within the stipulated time frame in line with the Petroleum Industry Act will forfeit their bid guarantee and lose their provisional awards to the reserve bidders,” the NUPRC stated.
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The 37 blocks offered in the licensing round comprise Petroleum Prospecting Licences covering the Niger Delta onshore, shallow water and deep offshore areas, as well as frontier basins.
Among the blocks are PPL 2A29 to PPL 2A62 in the Niger Delta, PPL 2010 in the deep offshore, PPL 308 in the Benin Basin, PPL 900 to PPL 903 in the Anambra Basin, PPL 700 in the Chad Basin and PPL 800 and PPL 801 in the Benue Trough.
The commission also published the names of the 31 successful companies and the ranked reserve bidders for each of the 37 blocks.
A total of 143 companies participated in the licensing round, submitting about 200 bids for the 37 blocks. However, 13 of the 50 blocks initially put up for bidding attracted no bids.
Under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and the applicable licensing guidelines, successful bidders are required to pay signature bonuses ranging from $3m to $7m per block.
They are also expected to provide the required guarantees, pay first-year rents and satisfy other post-award conditions within the prescribed period. Failure to meet the requirements will result in the automatic transfer of the affected award to the next-ranked reserve bidder, according to the NUPRC.
The commission’s Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, had earlier urged the successful bidders to make the required payments without delay and commence development of the awarded assets.
The NUPRC urged interested members of the public and stakeholders to visit the 2025 Licensing Round portal for further information on the awards and compliance requirements.
Under the PIA 2021 guidelines, winning bidders are required to pay their signature bonuses within a strict 90-day window. Since provisional award letters were issued immediately following the commercial bid conference on July 21, 2026, it means 30 days have already elapsed, and companies have 60 days left to remit the funds.
This shows that the regulator expects the signature bonuses to be paid on or before October 19, 2026.
If a winning company fails to complete the payment of its statutory signature bonus along with first-year rent within this 90-day window, the company automatically forfeits its bid guarantee. The provisional award will be revoked and immediately reassigned to the designated reserve bidder for the asset.
Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), operator of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and CNL Joint Venture, has stressed the importance of strengthening the regulatory framework in the Nigerian oil and gas industry to enhance growth opportunities.
Chairman and Managing Director of Chevron companies in Nigeria and the Mid Africa Region, Jim Swartz, made this known at the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) Energy and Labour Summit (PEALS) in Abuja on Wednesday August 19, 2026.
Represented by Segun Kuteyi, Director of Operations and Chief Operating Officer, Chevron Nigeria and Mid Africa Region, Jim noted that Nigeria remains one of the world’s most resource-rich energy nations, with substantial oil reserves, abundant natural gas, a strategic location, and a skilled workforce, adding that these strengths position the country for sustained growth and competitiveness in a rapidly evolving global energy landscape.
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He remarked that resources alone are not enough to guarantee success and emphasized that what makes the difference is the environment in which investments, businesses, and people operate. “A predictable, transparent, and efficient regulatory framework builds confidence; and confidence attracts investment, drives innovation, creates jobs, and supports economic growth,’ he stated.
Jim emphasized that regulatory certainty could be a catalyst for investor commitments and noted that in Chevron, regulatory reforms in the industry continue to enable its growth opportunities post-Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, with key drivers being exploration and new discoveries, infill drilling and brownfield optimisation as well as monetisation and integrated developments
According to him, some of the company’s key achievements include the renewal and conversion of its Joint Venture and Deepwater leases; continued investment in exploration, asset and gas development, and monetisation; the recent Chevron’s acquisition of Deepwater block, Petroleum Prospecting License (PPL 2010); equity investments in recent announcements by Shell on Bonga Southwest/Aparo (BSWAP), and ExxonMobil on Owowo/Usan and the sustained social investments and community partnerships for over six decades.
While emphasizing the importance of safety, collaboration and human dimension in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, he stated that the industry challenges could be addressed through strengthening regulatory certainty, advancing transparency and accountability, driving investment across the value chain and promote collaboration across the industry, supporting innovation and digital transformation and building workforce capability and future-ready skills.
“At Chevron, we believe people are our greatest asset. No regulatory framework can fully succeed without a capable, motivated, and protected workforce. That is why forums such as PEALS are important: they bring government, labour, and industry together to align on shared goals and deepen mutual understanding,” he remarked.
Nigeria has mined over 4.6 billion barrels of crude oil from deep offshore assets worth over 5,000 tankers.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), revealed this on Tuesday Live on NTA hosted by Cyril Stober.
The Commission Chief Executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, represented by the Executive Commissioner, Development and Production of the NUPRC, Engineer Enorense Amadasu, asserted that the achievement was made possible by the Deep Offshore Oil and Gas Project Incentives (Tax Remission) Executive Order (EO) 2026 recently signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
She added that the EO has the potential not only to unlock $50bn in investments but can also create an additional one million barrels per day of crude oil and condensate from deep offshore fields.
Eyesan explained that the reform establishes a transparent, rules-based investment framework capable of supporting the next generation of deep offshore developments.
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She noted that presently, Nigeria produces about 1.7mbpd of crude oil and condensate but deep offshore accounts for just about 24 percent of total oil production and 19 percent of gas.
Eyesan pointed out that with Field Development Plans (FDPs) running into billions of dollars already approved by the NUPRC, the executive order will encourage IOCs to make quicker Final Investment Decisions (FIDs).
“So, where will these volumes be coming from? Nine of these projects have approved FDPs so the next step expected is the FID in the near to midterm.
The $10bn Bonga South will come in 2027 and within the next four to five years, we are expecting almost an additional one million barrels additional per day,” she stated.
According to Eyesan, the executive order also presents an opportunity for other sectors like the marine economy which will need to expand Nigeria’s logistics/marine base so the country can sustain the volume of deep offshore projects being expected.
“It aims to make Nigeria the regional hub for deep offshore projects,” Eyesan said.
Other benefits of the executive order as explained by CCE include: growth in reserves, technological/skills transfer and new jobs.
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