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The federal government has declared that Nigeria is open for large-scale gas investments, saying sweeping regulatory reforms, improved fiscal incentives, and ongoing multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects have positioned the country to become a dominant player in the global gas market.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Mr Ekperikpe Ekpo, stated this at Nigeria Energy Week 2026 in Abuja.
Ekpo said the Tinubu administration had transformed Nigeria into a more predictable and competitive investment destination, with several Final Investment Decisions (FIDs) already returning to the sector following recent policy reforms.
“Our message to the global investment community is unified and resolute. Nigeria is open for business.”
The minister added that the government had established a stable, competitive, and highly predictable investment environment.
Ekpo said the reforms, anchored on the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 and reinforced by a series of presidential executive orders, have shortened contracting timelines, introduced targeted fiscal incentives for gas development, removed bureaucratic bottlenecks, and restored the commercial viability of deepwater gas projects.
The minister noted that Nigeria’s ambition goes beyond exploiting its estimated 215 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves.
Rather, he said, the government intends to transform natural gas into the primary engine of industrialisation, economic diversification, and long-term energy security.
According to him, Nigeria’s growing influence in global energy governance is evident in its emergence as President of the 2026 Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Ministerial Meeting and the election of Nigerian energy executive Dr Philip Mshelbila as Secretary-General of the organisation.
He also cited Nigeria’s recent admission as an Association Country of the International Energy Agency (IEA), making it the first member of OPEC to attain the status.
To support the country’s gas ambitions, Ekpo said the government is accelerating strategic infrastructure projects, including the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) and OB3 gas pipelines, which are expected to integrate Nigeria’s gas network and boost domestic supply to industries across the country.
Ekpo stressed that new gas processing facilities are also being developed to increase lean gas production, reduce gas flaring, and expand supplies of LPG and condensates for local consumption.
On the export front, the minister said the ongoing Nigeria LNG Train 7 project would increase the country’s liquefied natural gas production capacity from 22 million tonnes per annum to 30 million tonnes, strengthening Nigeria’s position in meeting rising global demand for cleaner energy.
He added that the administration is also pursuing gas-led social and economic programmes, including the National Clean Cooking Programme, which targets five million households by 2030, and the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative aimed at reducing transport costs through wider adoption of gas-powered vehicles.
Ekpo further reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to regional energy integration through the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, the Africa-Atlantic Gas Pipeline, and the Nigeria-Equatorial Guinea Gas Pipeline, describing them as strategic projects that would deepen African energy cooperation and expand market access for Nigerian gas.
He assured investors that the federal government would continue to provide regulatory certainty, transparent policies, and investment protection, insisting that Nigeria now has both the resources and reforms needed to become one of the world’s leading gas economies.
