By Bassey Udo
Sahara Group says it would be attending the 9th Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) 2026 starting on Monday in Abuja with an agenda to promote energy security, collaboration, and innovation for Africa.
The Summit scheduled for the International Conference Centre, Abuja between February 2 and 5 would provide a forum for global leaders and policymakers to share ideas on the theme “Energy for Peace and Prosperity: Securing Our Shared Future.”
The company reputed to be one of Africa’s energy and infrastructure conglomerate with more than three decades of shaping Africa’s energy landscape said its participation in the Summit would reflect its long‑standing commitment to expanding access to cleaner, reliable energy, while advancing innovation, operational excellence, and competitiveness across the continent.
Head, Corporate Communications, Sahara Group, Bethel Obioma, said Sahara would use the platform of the Summit to reinforce the continent’s need for a stronger, agile, and resilient energy sector.
“Africa can utilise platforms such as the NIES to accelerate dialogue and coordinated actions aimed at transforming and guiding the continent’s energy sector towards global competitiveness, sustainability, and shared prosperity,” Obioma said on Sunday.
He said Sahara’s delegation at the Summit would also highlight the alignment of industry regulations, the scaling of local enterprises, and investment in human capital, particularly within the upstream sector of the petroleum industry where Sahara Group has continued to demonstrate leadership through responsible oil and gas exploration and production practices.
Sahara Group’s senior technical and commercial leaders, he said, would feature on high‑level panels covering local content, policy harmonization, and gas‑driven industrialization.
Chief Technical Officer, Asharami Energy (A Sahara Group Upstream Company), Leste Aihevba, is expected to join the panel on “Empowering Local Services, African Entrepreneurs & Multinational Partnerships”, at the Summit, where he would emphasise the need to scale indigenous capacity, strengthen local service ecosystems, and deepen partnerships to reduce operational bottlenecks and support resilience.
Also, Head of Commercial & Planning, Asharami Energy, Dr. Tosin Etomi, is scheduled to speak on “One Africa, One Regulatory Voice: Aligning Policies for Continental Prosperity and Investment,” advocating seamless regulatory coordination, predictable fiscal regimes, and regional integration to attract capital and enable cross‑border energy growth.
Besides, Head of Integrated Gas Ventures at Asharami Energy, Mariah Lucciano‑Gabriel, would speak on the panel on “Gas for Growth: Milestones, Momentum and the Road Ahead,” to highlight gas as a catalyst for Africa’s industrialisation, energy access expansion, and balanced transition pathways.
Obioma said together, these contributions would underline Sahara Group’s long‑standing advocacy for collaboration as the cornerstone of Africa’s energy future.
He said the Sahara Group believes strengthened alliances among operators, regulators, investors, and technology partners would be vital for achieving responsible development, security of supply, and enhanced competitiveness across regional value chains.
With operations spanning upstream, midstream, downstream, power, trading, and infrastructure across Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, he said Sahara Group remains committed to bringing energy to life responsibly while championing Africa‑centric solutions grounded in innovation and impact.