The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to driving Africa’s energy security and regional integration.
Speaking at the 2025 Africa Oil Week (AOW) Ministerial and CEO Leadership Forum, the Minister emphasised the importance of collaboration in tackling the continent’s energy challenges.
In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Nneamaka Okafor, Lokpobiri argued that deeper integration through shared infrastructure, unified standards, and collective technical expertise is key to ending energy poverty across Africa.
“Africa spends over $120 billion annually on hydrocarbon imports,” he revealed.
“That’s capital flight. These funds should be invested within Africa to drive our own development.”
He stressed that the real barrier to progress is not the lack of capital but the absence of consistent regulatory and fiscal frameworks across the continent.
“Investors want stability and predictability. To attract and retain investment, Africa must harmonize its energy policies,” Lokpobiri said.
As part of Nigeria’s leadership strategy, the Minister announced the launch of the West African Reference Market (WARM), a new initiative aimed at leveraging Nigeria’s expanding refining capacity to supply petroleum products across the West African region and beyond.
On the issue of global energy transition, Lokpobiri pointed out that the Paris Agreement does not mandate a complete abandonment of fossil fuels, but rather a focus on reducing emissions.
“Africa contributes just 3% of global CO₂ emissions. We can’t lead the energy transition when many of our people still lack basic access to energy. Our priority must be the responsible use of our resources to power development,” he stated.
He closed with a call for unity and a renewed continental vision: “Africa has the population, the market, and the natural resources. What we need now is to retain value within the continent and fund our own energy future.”