Nigeria plans to significantly increase its natural gas production in a bid to meet as much as 70 per cent of Africa’s gas demand, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has said.
The NUPRC Chief Executive, Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed this during a panel session at the 2026 Gastech conference in Bangkok, Thailand.
Eyesan said Nigeria has an estimated 215 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of natural gas reserves but currently produces only about eight billion cubic feet (BCF) of gas per day.
According to her, the gap between Nigeria’s reserves and current production shows the huge potential available for expansion.
She said increasing production two or three times above the current level could enable Nigeria to supply a significant share of the continent’s gas needs.
“By doubling our production, tripling our production, we can be meeting at least 70 per cent of Africa’s demand,” she said.
Eyesan explained that higher gas production would help Nigeria meet its domestic energy requirements, increase exports and support the country’s energy transition.
She, however, identified investment, commercially sustainable gas pricing and adequate infrastructure as critical to unlocking the sector’s potential.
She said the Federal Government had introduced incentives aimed at attracting investors, while the NUPRC had continued to make oil and gas assets available through licensing rounds.
According to Eyesan, the commission is scheduled to commence its 2026 licensing round next month, following previous rounds held in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
She disclosed that 37 of the 50 assets offered during the most recent licensing round were taken up by investors, describing the response as an indication of continued interest in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
Eyesan also stressed the importance of resolving issues surrounding domestic gas pricing to ensure that the market remains commercially viable for both producers and consumers.
On infrastructure, she said increased government investment in recent years was helping to expand the facilities required to transport gas to domestic markets and other parts of West Africa.
She noted that extending gas infrastructure across the region could help reduce energy poverty and support a gradual shift from biomass and other high-emission fuels to natural gas.
“Gas definitely is a transition, not just for Nigeria, but for Africa, for the continent at large,” she said.
NUPRC rejects one-size-fits-all net-zero approach
Eyesan also opposed the adoption of a uniform pathway to achieving net-zero emissions across Africa.
She argued that African countries have different natural resources, economic circumstances and development priorities, making a single energy-transition strategy unsuitable for the continent.
She said each country should be able to pursue an energy pathway that reflects its own resources, development needs and economic realities.
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