**Shettima says partnership validates Tinubu’s economic reforms

Nigeria has formally deepened its integration into the global energy community, signing a Joint Work Programme with the International Energy Agency (IEA) to strengthen energy data, policy development and investment across the country’s energy value chain.

The agreement, signed in Abuja on Thursday, is expected to provide Nigeria with greater access to the IEA’s technical expertise, data, policy advice and global energy networks, with a focus on driving economic growth, attracting investment and strengthening energy security.

The development also marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s formal admission as an Association Country of the IEA, a move Vice President Kashim Shettima described as a validation of the policy direction and economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Speaking on behalf of President Tinubu at the signing ceremony, Shettima said Nigeria’s entry into the Paris-based energy organisation reflected the country’s growing strategic importance in the global energy landscape and international confidence in its commitment to energy cooperation.

He said the partnership would enable Nigeria to leverage the IEA’s institutional knowledge, intellectual resources and technical expertise to maximise its vast energy potential.

“Nigeria’s admission as an Association Country with the IEA is a significant milestone for our country and it reflects Nigeria’s strategic importance in the global energy landscape and the confidence that IEA has placed in our commitment to constructive international energy cooperation,” Shettima said.

According to him, the development also provides further justification for the administration’s policy choices and its determination to reposition the Nigerian economy by unlocking the value of the country’s abundant energy resources.

The Vice President said Nigeria’s substantial renewable and conventional energy resources, if properly harnessed, could play a critical role in accelerating economic transformation and improving the welfare of citizens.

He commended the IEA for its contribution to the global energy conversation, particularly its efforts to help countries navigate the complex challenges of energy security, affordability, sustainability and economic development.

Shettima assured the IEA delegation that Nigeria remained committed to working with international partners and other stakeholders to contribute meaningfully to the global debate on a fair and just energy transition.

The Executive Director of the IEA, Dr Fatih Birol, said Nigeria’s admission followed extensive consultations and considerations by the organisation’s governing board.

Birol explained that the IEA brings together governments and experts across virtually every major area of the energy sector, including oil and gas, solar energy, nuclear power, electric vehicles and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

He said the organisation draws on the expertise of hundreds of leading energy specialists globally to provide governments with policy advice, data and technical support.

According to him, Nigeria’s admission was therefore the product of a rigorous process and reflected the confidence of IEA member governments in the country.

Birol said the IEA Board, comprising representatives of major economies including the United States, Japan, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, unanimously approved Nigeria’s admission following detailed discussions.

He pledged the agency’s support for Nigeria’s energy sector over the coming years, particularly in areas such as clean cooking, gas markets, technical capacity development and energy policy.

“The IEA will accompany the Nigerian energy sector for the next few years to come for a much better energy future. We will provide policy advice from clean cooking to gas markets, from gas markets to training Nigerian experts at the IEA,” he said.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, said Nigeria’s admission into the IEA was a reflection of the performance of the Tinubu administration and the reforms it had undertaken to reposition the economy.

He said the Joint Work Programme would facilitate closer technical cooperation between Nigerian institutions and the IEA, particularly in developing reliable energy data to guide policy formulation and investment decisions across the value chain.

Ekpo said the partnership would ultimately contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth and strengthen national energy security.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, described the partnership as strategically important to Nigeria, noting that the Nigerian Mission in Paris played a key role in facilitating the process.

He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the leadership of Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, would continue to provide the necessary diplomatic coordination to ensure that Nigeria derives maximum benefits from the partnership.

“We take this as a critical component of our national interest, and we will not fail in ensuring that we assist, as facilitators and coordinators, in ensuring that the maximum benefit of this endeavour is derived for the benefit of the Nigerian people,” he said.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, said the Commission had maintained a longstanding working relationship with the IEA, including the organisation’s joint sponsorship of Nigeria’s last National Energy Master Plan.

He noted, however, that the relationship had previously lacked a formal institutional framework.

Abdullahi expressed optimism that Nigeria’s new status within the IEA and the Joint Work Programme would provide a stronger platform for sustained technical cooperation and deepen collaboration between the Energy Commission and the agency.