• Afreximbank, MDGIF seal $500m deal to boost gas infrastructure
While Nigeria loses about $1.05 billion yearly to routine gas flaring, NLNG, yesterday, said it has assisted the country in reducing emissions by about 40 per cent. 
  
About 26 years after the company commenced operations, NLNG’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Philip Mshelbila, stated that the organisation is intensifying its prevention measures in facility design, upgrading existing assets, and commissioning new technologies to further reduce emissions. 
  
Continuous flaring of gas is not only dangerous to communities where oil is produced, but it also remains a concern for Nigeria’s nationally determined commitments as well as its energy transition plan. 
  
Speaking at a high-level panel session during the 2025 Gastech Conference in Milan, Mshelbila disclosed that the company is doubling down on its methane-reduction efforts by embedding leak-prevention measures into plant design, upgrading ageing assets, and deploying new technologies across its operations.
  
Central to NLNG’s current programme, Mshelbila said, is the installation of a new boil-off gas compressor system, now nearing completion, which will capture and re-inject methane back into the value chain, preventing its release into the atmosphere.
  
“Our focus is on prevention as the first line of defence. We know our baseline, we know where the leaks occur, and we measure whether our interventions are working. But the bigger challenge is how we get others in the industry to do the same. No single operator can solve this problem alone,” Mshelbila said.
  
Methane, the main component of natural gas, is more than 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide in trapping heat over 100 years, making it a major contributor to near-term global warming. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), rapid methane reductions from the oil and gas sector represent one of the fastest and cheapest opportunities to slow climate change.
  
Mshelbila emphasised that although oil and gas operations account for only about 21 per cent of total global methane emissions, the industry has a duty to lead by example. He noted that roughly 40 per cent of methane emissions occur naturally, mainly from wetlands and oceans, while agriculture contributes the largest share from human activity, at around 40 per cent.

MEANWHILE, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund (MDGIF) have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to mobilise up to $500 million for the development of Nigeria’s gas infrastructure, in a move expected to accelerate industrialisation, job creation and energy transition.
 
The pact, signed on the sidelines of the fourth Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025), is designed to modernise and expand midstream and downstream gas facilities while reducing flaring and unlocking new value in Nigeria’s vast natural gas resources.
   
The agreement was signed by the Director and Global Head, Project and Asset-Based Finance, Mrs Helen Brume, on behalf of Afreximbank, and Executive Director, Mr Oluwole Adama, on behalf of MDGIF. It emphasises private sector-led delivery models and aligns with the mandates of both institutions.
 
Under the deal, Afreximbank and MDGIF will jointly mobilise capital over a four-year period, blending senior debt and equity contributions to finance eligible projects. Priority areas include targeted gas infrastructure investments, debt financing, project preparatory support, equity financing, advocacy, and institutional capacity building.