Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Dr. Ekperikpe Ekpo has stated that Nigeria and Africa must pursue energy transition strategies that reflect their national realities rather than follow externally imposed pathways.
Speaking at the 2025 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, Dr. Ekpo stressed that while Nigeria supports global decarbonisation goals, the process must be “sequential, just, and balanced” to avoid undermining economic growth and energy security. Highlighting the continent’s energy challenges, he noted that 80 million Nigerians and over 600 million Africans still lack electricity, with millions relying on biomass for cooking, and emphasised that gas remains central to power generation, industrialisation, and clean cooking solutions, ensuring development and access are not sacrificed in the push for climate targets.