Africa will require at least $100 billion in yearly investments to develop critical energy infrastructure, stakeholders have said, reaffirming natural gas as the continent’s bridge fuel for securing reliable energy and driving industrialisation.
Speaking at the second edition of Sahara Group’s Thought Leadership Forum, Asharami Square, held in Lagos with the theme ‘Harnessing Gas for Africa’s Sustainable Future, energy experts, government officials, and media practitioners identified gas as the vital link between expanding energy access and transitioning to cleaner sources.
They emphasised that mobilising consistent funding was crucial to tackling Africa’s energy deficit, unlocking industrial growth and delivering inclusive development across the continent.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, represented by his Senior Technical Adviser, Abel Nsa, said Africa must urgently address the narrative of “Africa’s energy paradox”.
He noted that, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Africa holds over seven per cent of global natural gas reserves, with Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt and Mozambique accounting for the majority of the volumes. Yet, the continent consumes less than five per cent of global gas output, a mismatch he said must be addressed with urgency and purpose.
Applauding the Sahara Group for shaping public discourse through Asharami Square, Ekpo said the platform could help bridge the gap between intention and action and between information and transformation.
Group Asset Manager at NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS), Dr Justice Derefaka, in his keynote address, underscored the need for Africa to craft its own energy story, one that would deploy gas to electrify homes, support agro-industrial growth through affordable fertilisers, and curb indoor air pollution that disproportionately affects women and children.
Derefaka, represented by the Asset Manager PSC at NUIMS, Frank Mmamelu, reiterated the socio-economic value of gas for Africa, noting its potential to lift millions out of poverty by supporting agriculture, improving access to clean domestic energy, reducing deaths caused by pollution and addressing gender inequality.
The Chief Executive Officer of First Independent Power Limited (FIPL), Olurotimi Famoroti, said Nigeria’s chronic energy shortfall remained at the heart of its economic struggles and that gas remained the most scalable and immediate solution available.
Director of Governance and Sustainability at Sahara Group, Ejiro Gray, said Africa must take bold, inward-looking steps to harness its abundant gas resources and secure its future.
Gray explained that Sahara Group’s strategy rests on three pillars: gas-to-power communities, gas-to-power industries, and investment in gas trading and storage infrastructure across Africa.
Head of Corporate Communications at Sahara Group, Bethel Obioma, noted that Asharami Square was created to build capacity in the media to accurately report sustainability issues and demystify energy transition concepts for the wider public.
