IEA Says Nigeria’s Vast Gas Reserves Could Bridge Africa’s 600 Million-Person Energy Deficit

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has reaffirmed that Nigeria’s abundant natural gas resources hold the potential to significantly reduce Africa’s enormous electricity access gap, where an estimated 600 million people across the continent still live without power.

The position was restated during a high-level courtesy visit by an IEA delegation to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in Abuja. The meeting focused on strengthening collaboration in key areas such as energy transition planning, data accuracy, upstream governance, and improving Nigeria’s investment climate in the oil and gas sector.

According to the IEA, Africa’s right to expand energy access remains unquestionable. The Agency noted that even if all of the continent’s currently known gas reserves were fully developed, the resulting increase in global carbon emissions would amount to only about 0.5 percent—far below thresholds that would significantly alter global climate pathways. This, the IEA said, underscores the relatively low climate impact of African gas development compared to its huge socio-economic benefits.

The Agency also commended the NUPRC for embedding decarbonisation measures within its regulatory framework. It highlighted the Commission’s practice of requiring green, low-carbon strategies in Field Development Plans (FDPs), saying the approach aligns with conditions increasingly demanded by international financiers for upstream oil and gas investment. The IEA described this as a crucial step in ensuring Nigerian projects remain competitive and fundable in a rapidly evolving global energy market.

As part of the renewed cooperation, the IEA offered to expand Nigeria’s access to its specialised energy market intelligence tools, including the Monthly Oil Market Report. It also proposed joint capacity-building workshops on gas monetisation, Africa’s transition pathways, and improved technical-level data sharing between the Agency and NUPRC experts. The IEA further expressed readiness to facilitate Nigeria’s participation in major global energy dialogue platforms.

NUPRC Commission Chief Executive, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, welcomed the partnership and reiterated the Commission’s commitment to transparency, investor assurance, and sustainable resource development in accordance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021. Komolafe emphasised that the NUPRC would continue to operate an open-door policy to strengthen collaboration with global institutions like the IEA, which he said is essential as Nigeria aims to cement its role as a continental leader in energy transition and upstream investment growth.