Regulatory Fragmentation Threatens African Energy Investment – NUPRC Chief

The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has cautioned that inconsistent regulatory frameworks across Africa remain a major barrier to cross-border energy investments. She called for stronger collaboration through the African Petroleum Regulators’ Forum (AFRIPERF) to harmonise policies and create a unified regulatory voice across the continent.

Delivering a keynote address at the Nigerian International Energy Summit in Abuja, Eyesan—represented by NUPRC Director Edu Inyang—stressed that Africa’s challenge is not resource scarcity but regulatory fragmentation, which raises costs, delays projects, and discourages investors. “Investors are not deterred by Africa’s geology; they are deterred by inconsistent rules,” she said.

She explained that AFRIPERF was established to drive regulatory convergence, improve predictability, and accelerate cross-border oil and gas projects. The forum is already working to align technical standards, build shared data platforms, and strengthen regulatory capacity while projecting a unified African voice in global energy and climate discussions.

Eyesan highlighted Africa’s vast potential, noting that the continent holds 8% of global oil and gas reserves, nearly 30% of critical minerals, and a youthful population of over 1.5 billion. She argued that coordinated policies and integrated infrastructure could unlock industrialisation, strengthen regional value chains, and deliver inclusive growth.

Despite the global energy transition, she reaffirmed that oil and gas will remain central to Africa’s development for decades, supporting electricity generation, clean cooking, fertiliser production, and public revenues. She pointed to Nigeria’s leadership through the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, transparent licensing rounds, and major gas projects such as the AKK pipeline, Nigeria–Morocco Gas Pipeline, and the revived Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline.

Eyesan also cited the establishment of the Africa Energy Bank, headquartered in Nigeria, as a milestone in mobilising African capital for energy projects at a time when global financing for fossil fuels is shrinking. She urged regulators to deepen cooperation, expand regional gas and electricity networks, adopt shared sustainability standards, and maintain a unified stance in global energy forums.

“Our voice must be one, our frameworks aligned, and our actions coordinated. Only then can we unlock the full transformative power of Africa’s resources for our people,” she concluded.