Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, has stated that shared infrastructure and policy alignment among African nations are critical to unlocking the continent’s vast gas potential, citing the Nigeria–Morocco Gas Pipeline as a strategic pillar for securing Africa’s energy future.
Ojulari made this known during a fireside chat with the Deputy Chair of Ørsted and President of the Energy Institute, Andy Brown, at the 2026 International Energy Week in London.
He said accelerated delivery of flagship regional gas projects—particularly the Nigeria–Morocco Gas Pipeline and the expansion of the West African Gas Pipeline—would strengthen regional integration and deepen cross-border energy trade.
“Shared infrastructure, policy alignment, coordinated investment frameworks, cross-border knowledge and technology exchange, integrated gas market development, and sustained regional diplomacy among National Oil Companies are key pillars for securing Africa’s energy future. Africa can attract and deploy capital more effectively when acting collectively rather than individually,” he said.
“The continent must move towards aligned pricing frameworks, transit protocols, local content standards, and joint technical regulations, drawing lessons from reforms such as Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Act, to reduce investment friction, safeguard cross-border infrastructure, and ensure equitable access to shared energy assets.”
Ojulari described cross-border gas infrastructure as the backbone of Africa’s industrialisation drive, noting that shared assets would unlock scale, efficiency, and resilience across the continent.
He reiterated that accelerated delivery of flagship projects—such as the Nigeria–Morocco Gas Pipeline and the expansion of the West African Gas Pipeline—is critical to strengthening regional integration and advancing cross-border energy trade.
The Nigeria–Morocco Gas Pipeline, a transcontinental project expected to run along the West African coast to North Africa and Europe, is designed to connect Nigerian gas resources to multiple African countries before reaching Morocco and potentially European markets.
When completed, the pipeline is projected to enhance gas access across West Africa, support power generation, stimulate industrial growth, and improve energy security in participating countries.
Ojulari’s intervention at the London summit signals Nigeria’s renewed push to position the Nigeria–Morocco Gas Pipeline not merely as a bilateral project, but as a continental integration corridor capable of redefining Africa’s energy landscape.
Beyond physical infrastructure, Ojulari stressed the need for harmonised regulatory and pricing frameworks across African markets to reduce investment friction.
According to him, Africa must move towards aligned pricing structures, transit protocols, local content standards, and joint technical regulations. He said reforms such as Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Act provide useful lessons in creating transparent and investor-friendly frameworks that safeguard cross-border infrastructure and ensure equitable access to shared assets.
Stakeholders have maintained that regulatory fragmentation and inconsistent fiscal regimes across African countries have slowed the development of regional energy projects. Ojulari maintained that stronger policy coordination would not only de-risk investments but also boost investor confidence in large-scale gas infrastructure.
The NNPC chief also advocated structured joint investment platforms among African National Oil Companies (NOCs), arguing that collective action would enable the continent to mobilise capital more effectively.
He emphasised coordinated investment frameworks, cross-border knowledge and technology exchange, integrated gas market development, and sustained regional diplomacy as key pillars for securing Africa’s energy future.
According to him, collaboration among NOCs would accelerate project execution, deepen technical expertise, and strengthen Africa’s negotiating position in global energy markets.
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