Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Engineer Bayo Ojulari, has disclosed that over 600 million Africans are living without access to electricity.
He, however, gave an assurance that Nigeria and the national oil company were ready to lead the charge in changing the narrative.
He said this during an address at the opening ceremony of the Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) 2026, held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday.
Ojulari said Africa has energy trilemma, adding that, though the African Continent is endowed with vast energy resources, it still grapples with issues of accessibility, affordability, and sustainability.
“With over 600 million Africans still lacking electricity, the Continent’s priority cannot be a copy and paste.
“Ours must be a just, equitable, people-centered energy additions; one that lifts our people out of poverty, powers industries, supports agriculture, transforms transportation, and unleashes the creativity of Africa’s youth,” he stated.
“Nigeria, as an emerging global energy powerhouse, has the responsibility to utilise its abundant gas resources to power Africa’s rise and contribute meaningfully to global stability.
“Nigeria’s pathway to a prosperous future lies in our collective ability to leverage our resource abundance, especially as gas sits at the heart of our strategy.
“It is our bridge to a cleaner future, our engine for industrialisation, and our foundation for export-led growth,” Ojulari stated.
He said, with 37 billion barrels of crude oil and 209 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, Nigeria and the NNPC Ltd were ready to lead the charge in changing the narrative.
He said NNPC Ltd was not just a commercial entity, but also a peace and prosperity enabler.
Ojulari disclosed that steps were being taken to enhance access to gas as the primary fuel for driving industrialisation and economic growth.
The GCEO said NNPC Ltd has launched a new Gas Master Plan, and aggressively progressing strategic gas infrastructure projects such as the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3), Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipelines, and the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) expansion.
“These projects are more than pipelines, they are highways for economic opportunity,” Ojulari stated in a press release by the NNPC Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh.
