‘Africa Must Align Infrastructure To Achieve Energy Security’

The Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), Engr Bashir Ojulari, has identified 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 (NOCs) as key pillars for securing Africa’s energy future.

Ojulari disclosed this during a fireside chat with Deputy Chair of Ørsted and President of the Energy Institute, Mr. Andy Brown, at the 2026 International Energy Week (IEW) in London, yesterday, according to a statement, by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer, NNPC Ltd, Andy Odeh.

Addressing the imperative of expanding cross-border energy infrastructure, Ojulari said NNPC Ltd’s ongoing regional gas initiatives demonstrated how shared assets can unlock scale, efficiency, and resilience.

He emphasised 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.

According to him, 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 (PIA), to reduce investment friction, safeguard cross-border infrastructure, and ensure equitable access to shared energy assets.