Former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, has warned that Nigeria must adopt a pragmatic and resource-driven approach to energy transition, insisting that natural gas will remain central to powering the country’s economy for decades, even as global realities continue to reshape the energy debate.  
 
Speaking at the opening of the 19th annual conference of the Nigerian Association for Energy Economics (NAEE) in Lagos, Nnaji said recent global crises had exposed the limitations of an exclusive push for renewables, noting that European countries quickly reverted to coal following the Russia-Ukraine war despite earlier advocacy for cleaner energy.  
 
The three-day conference, themed “Evolution of Energy Mix in Africa: The Role of Technology, Economics and Public Policy,” is expected to bring together policymakers, industry leaders, and academics to address the continent’s evolving energy needs.
 
Nnaji said: “For the next 20 years, we will be relying on different forms of natural gas to power our economy, and that is a good thing. We have natural gas as the main ingredient for power production, and we must make good use of what we have.”
 
He stressed that Nigeria’s comparative advantage lies in its vast natural gas reserves, projected at over 210 trillion cubic feet, which should be harnessed to drive electricity generation, industrialisation, and economic growth.
 
According to him, the country’s failure to fully utilise its gas potential is largely due to inadequate infrastructure and weak policy support, which have constrained investment and expansion in the sector.  
 
“We have over 210 trillion cubic feet of natural gas proven reserves, but we are not harvesting these reserves, and we are not building enough infrastructure. The infrastructure and financing that will make this happen must be supported by government policy,” he mentioned.  
 
Nnaji added that while renewable energy has a role, the country must prioritise what is practical and scalable, noting that gas-fired power plants are cheaper and faster to deploy compared to alternatives such as coal.
 
He also highlighted the importance of government-backed financing instruments, stable policies, and cost-reflective tariffs to unlock investments in the power sector, warning that policy inconsistency has stalled major projects for over a decade.  
 
Delivering the keynote address, Managing Director of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals, David Bird, said Africa’s energy future must be anchored on a balanced energy mix rather than a narrow transition agenda, arguing that reliable, affordable, and on-demand energy remains critical to economic development and poverty reduction.  

Also, in his welcome address, President of NAEE, Dr Hassan Mahmud, highlighted the scale of Africa’s energy challenges, noting that over 600 million people on the continent lack access to electricity, while nearly one billion rely on biomass for cooking.  

“Africa contributes the least to the problem, yet faces the most binding energy constraints. This is the paradox we must confront as we plan for the continent’s energy future,” he noted.

Mahmud said that despite contributing less than four per cent to global carbon emissions, Africa faces severe energy constraints, describing this as a paradox that must be urgently addressed. He added that the continent possesses vast energy resources, including natural gas, solar potential, and critical minerals, but continues to struggle with translating these into reliable and affordable energy.