Indigenous Oil Firms Face Test Of Delivering More Gas To Nigeria’s Economy

Nigeria’s growing shift towards indigenous ownership of oil and gas assets is coming under increasing scrutiny, as policymakers and investors assess whether the transition will improve domestic gas supply, electricity generation and industrial growth.

The issue is expected to dominate discussions at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, where stakeholders will examine Nigeria’s energy reforms, gas development strategy and the expanding role of indigenous operators.

Programme Director of African Energy Week, Ore Onagbesan, said African countries must move beyond simply producing energy resources and focus on investments that improve power supply, industrialisation and job creation.

Her remarks come as Nigerian firms such as Seplat Energy and Renaissance Africa Energy assume control of major assets previously owned by international oil companies, raising expectations that local operators will prioritise domestic gas development.

However, analysts note that the new owners are inheriting longstanding challenges, including ageing infrastructure, pipeline vandalism, environmental liabilities, financing constraints, regulatory bottlenecks and uncertainty in the domestic gas market.

Despite Nigeria’s vast gas reserves, power plants and manufacturers continue to face supply shortages, forcing many industries to rely on costly diesel-powered generators. Experts argue that the challenge lies less in gas availability than in processing, transportation, pricing and payment systems.

Onagbesan stressed that addressing gas pricing, infrastructure deficits, financing and regulatory certainty would be essential if Nigeria is to use its gas resources to drive economic transformation.

She also highlighted the importance of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, describing it as a key project capable of expanding gas supply to power plants and industries across central and northern Nigeria. However, she noted that the pipeline’s success would depend on the emergence of viable industrial customers and reliable distribution networks.

Industry stakeholders also say indigenous ownership must extend beyond replacing foreign investors with Nigerian shareholders by fostering engineering capacity, technology transfer, equipment manufacturing, environmental stewardship and stronger local supply chains.

With African countries competing for limited global energy investment, investors are expected to closely assess Nigeria’s regulatory environment, fiscal stability, project approval timelines and security conditions during AEW 2026.

Analysts say the success of Nigeria’s indigenous energy transition will ultimately be measured not by asset acquisitions alone, but by whether more gas reaches power plants, factories and industrial clusters, strengthening the country’s energy security and supporting economic growth.