Nigeria should take the lead in shaping Africa’s energy transition to expand access, keep power affordable and support sustainable growth, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, said on Tuesday.
He spoke at the opening of the 2026 Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES), where he described energy as a pillar of global security, peace and human development rather than just an economic sector.
Ojulari said Africa’s energy future must reflect its own realities, noting that more than 600 million people on the continent still lack access to electricity.
He warned against copying transition models from advanced economies and called for a just, people-centred approach that ensures energy does not become a luxury.
He described Nigeria as an emerging global energy powerhouse with a responsibility to drive regional development and global energy stability.
Natural gas, he said, remains central to that vision, serving as a bridge fuel for cleaner energy, industrial growth and export expansion.
Ojulari said gas investments were already powering homes, reviving factories, boosting fertiliser production and strengthening foreign exchange earnings.
He cited milestones such as the NNPCL Gas Master Plan, progress on the OB3 and Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano pipelines, and plans to expand the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline System.
The projects, he said, are improving domestic supply and laying the groundwork for a competitive and environmentally responsible energy economy.
Ojulari added that sector reforms under President Bola Tinubu were positioning Nigeria as a key destination for global energy investment while supporting Africa’s wider development goals.