Nigeria and other resource endowed African nations must strive to assert their control of natural resources in their domains, redefine their narratives, and break from exploitative global energy frameworks, key participants in the 2025 Africa Gas Innovation Summit (AGIS) and the Oloibiri Lecture Series and Energy Forum (OLEF) said on Wednesday.
Lead speaker and Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO), Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, said energy sovereignty by African oil and gas industry players was at the heart of the call.
Ibrahim decried Africq’s continued dependence on foreign energy markets, technologies, and policies to develop their resource endowments, adding that claims about global equality in energy was an illusion Africa must abandon.
“For too long, we’ve been led to believe we are too poor to use the very energy beneath our feet. How can a continent that hosts the largest number of people without modern energy be comfortable exporting 45% of its natural gas and 75% of its crude oil resources?” Ibrahim said.
Citing Nigeria as a case study to highlight the disparities between Africa and developed nations, Ibrahim said that despite its vast population and landmass, the country has a gas and oil pipeline network of just 12,000 kilometres, compared to France, with one-third of Nigeria’s population, which has 45,000 kms of pipelines..
This infrastructure deficit, he noted, constitutes one of the clearest signs that Africa was not doing enough to empower its economies.
The APPO scribe who presented a roadmap of the organization said it was designed to address three key challenges posed by the global energy transition: financing, technology, and markets.
APPO, he said, has partnered with AFREXIMBANK to establish the Africa Energy Bank, headquartered in Abuja, to provide home-grown financing.
Also, he said regional centres of excellence were being developed to reduce technological dependence, while continental gas pipeline infrastructure was being planned with bodies like the Central African Business Energy Forum (CABEF) and CEMAC to open up African energy markets.
“The truth is, those we rely on are abandoning fossil fuels under the guise of energy transition. If we don’t take charge, we’ll be left with trillions of cubic feet of untapped natural gas in the ground,” Ibrahim warned.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, who expressed the same sentiments,
emphasized the need for Africa to define a unique, just, and equitable energy transition agenda.
Ekpo identified natural gas as a key transition fuel that must be developed deliberately, citing its role in power generation, industrialization, and poverty alleviation.
“In Nigeria, our ‘Decade of Gas’ is a deliberate strategy to unlock gas for power, transportation, and industry. But we cannot do this alone. Africa needs cross-border cooperation and shared infrastructure,” the Minister said.
He underlined ongoing initiatives like the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline and Trans-Saharan ventures as symbols of economic resilience, adding that without innovation and inclusive participation, the continent risks falling behind.
“We must innovate relentlessly and include broadly. African scientists and engineers must lead the way in low-carbon technology and digital energy solutions,” he said.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Ahmed Galadima Aminu, used the occasion to reiterate the agency’s commitment to fostering human capital and policy discourse in Nigeria’s energy space.
Speaking at the OLEF forum, Aminu said PTDF’s consistent support for the forum reflects its dedication to sustainable energy growth through technology, strategy, and partnerships.
“We believe energy security is achievable only through local capacity, resilient supply chains, and innovation-driven policy,” he said.
“Africa’s energy future lies in sovereignty, self-reliance, and strategic regional collaboration,” the Minister added.
