By Obas Esiedesa, Abuja
Main voices in Africa’s oil and fuel trade have made a compelling case for power sovereignty, urging Nigeria and different African international locations to reclaim management of their pure assets, redefine their power narratives, and break away from exploitative international frameworks.
On the coronary heart of the decision was Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, Secretary Basic of the African Petroleum Producers’ Group (APPO), who spoke passionately throughout the 2025 Africa Gasoline Innovation Summit (AGIS) and the Oloibiri Lecture Sequence and Vitality Discussion board (OLEF).
He decried the continent’s continued dependence on international markets, applied sciences, and insurance policies, stressing that Africa should cease perpetuating an phantasm of worldwide equality in power.
“For too lengthy, we’ve been led to imagine we’re too poor to make use of the very power beneath our toes. How can a continent that hosts the biggest variety of folks with out fashionable power be comfy exporting 45% of its fuel and 75% of its oil?” Ibrahim stated.
He highlighted stark disparities between Africa and developed nations, citing that Nigeria, regardless of its huge inhabitants and landmass, has a fuel and oil pipeline community of simply 12,000 km in comparison with France’s 45,000 km — a rustic with one-third Nigeria’s inhabitants.
“This infrastructure deficit is without doubt one of the clearest indicators that we’re not doing sufficient to empower our personal economies,” he said.
Ibrahim additionally offered a roadmap APPO is pursuing to handle three key challenges posed by the worldwide power transition: financing, know-how, and markets.
APPO, he stated, has partnered with Afreximbank to ascertain the Africa Vitality Financial institution, headquartered in Abuja, to supply home-grown financing.
Moreover, regional facilities of excellence are being developed to cut back technological dependence, and continental fuel pipeline infrastructure is being deliberate with our bodies just like the Central African Enterprise Vitality Discussion board (CABEF) and CEMAC to open up African power markets.
“The reality is, these we depend on are abandoning fossil fuels. If we don’t take cost, we’ll be left with trillions of cubic toes of untapped fuel within the floor,” Ibrahim warned.
Echoing these sentiments, Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Sources (Gasoline), emphasised that Africa should outline a novel, simply, and equitable power transition.
He championed pure fuel as a key transition gasoline, citing its function in energy era, industrialization, and poverty alleviation.
“In Nigeria, our ‘Decade of Gasoline’ is a deliberate technique to unlock fuel for energy, transportation, and trade. However we can’t do that alone. Africa wants cross-border cooperation and shared infrastructure,” he stated.
Ekpo underlined ongoing initiatives just like the Nigeria-Morocco Gasoline Pipeline and Trans-Saharan ventures as symbols of financial resilience.
Nonetheless, he confused that with out innovation and inclusive participation, the continent dangers falling behind.
“We should innovate relentlessly and embody broadly. African scientists and engineers should prepared the ground in low-carbon know-how and digital power options,” he stated.
In the meantime, Ahmed Galadima Aminu, Govt Secretary of the Petroleum Know-how Improvement Fund (PTDF), reiterated the company’s dedication to fostering human capital and coverage discourse in Nigeria’s power area.
Talking on the OLEF discussion board, Aminu stated PTDF’s constant assist for the discussion board displays its dedication to sustainable power development via know-how, technique, and partnerships.
“We imagine power safety is achievable solely via native capability, resilient provide chains, and innovation-driven coverage,” he stated.
Collectively, the audio system emphasised that Africa’s power future lies in sovereignty, self-reliance, and strategic regional collaboration.
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