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As one of the continent’s biggest oil and gas producers, Nigeria has been realigning policy with the aim of accelerating exploration, reversing production decline and unlocking greater value from both onshore and offshore hydrocarbon basins.
As the G20 Africa Energy Investment Forum fast-approaches, major African oil and gas producers such as Nigeria are gearing up to bring their strategic energy agendas to a global audience. Nigeria’s Special Advisor to President Bola Tinubu on Energy Olu Verheijen has joined the forum – taking place November 21 in Johannesburg – where she is expected to share insight into how the country’s recent slate of reforms is not only attracting foreign investment into the energy value chain but are positioning Nigeria as a benchmark for African nations as they pursue a hydrocarbon-driven energy transition.
As one of the continent’s biggest oil and gas producers, Nigeria has been realigning policy with the aim of accelerating exploration, reversing production decline and unlocking greater value from both onshore and offshore hydrocarbon basins.
Recent reforms include the introduction of the “Upstream Petroleum Operations” (Cost Efficiency Incentives) Order this year, offering performance-based tax credits to oil and gas companies that achieve cost-reduction targets.
The policy aims to lower operational costs, enhance the sector’s attractiveness while attracting investment into upstream projects. It also follows the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in 2021, which overhauled sector governance, unbundled the Nigerian National Petroleum Company into a commercially-oriented entity and established a modernized regulatory framework to attract capital and foster sustainable growth.
Nigeria’s energy strategy transcends the oil industry, showcasing a diverse and multi-faceted development approach that considers all forms of energy. Part of its National Energy Transition Plan – which aims to advance low-carbon and sustainable energy projects – the country has set a goal to increase gas production to 12 billion cubic feet per day by 2030 and is seeking $60 billion over the next five to seven years to strengthen the gas value chain. With over 200 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves, Nigeria’s gas sector has become a key priority for the nation’s development agenda.
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In the renewable energy sector, the country has established a ’30-30-30’ plan, targeting 30 GW of grid-connected power capacity by 2030, 30% of which will be derived from renewable energy sources. The plan comes as the country pursues net-zero by 2060 and is expected to contribute towards its goal of achieving universal access to electricity.
