By Desmond Ejibas
Port Harcourt – Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) has urged African nations to move beyond the role of raw material suppliers and take their place as key players in the global LNG market.
NLNG’s Deputy Managing Director, Mr Olakunle Osobu, in a statement, made the remark while addressing political and business leaders at the 2025 Africa Energy Week in Cape Town, South Africa.
The statement was issued by the company’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Dr Sophia Horsfall in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
Speaking further, Osobu said Africa was no longer a bystander in global discussions on energy security, affordability, and sustainability, but a rising pillar of global supply, one which Nigeria had a duty to lead.
He stated that with more than 850 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves, representing about six per cent of global reserves, Africa was critical to the ongoing global energy transition.
“Africa has the resources, positioning, and ambition to double its share of the global LNG market within the next decade,” he said.
Highlighting Nigeria’s pioneering role in LNG development, Osobu pointed out the ongoing NLNG Train 7 expansion project which, he said, would increase the company’s production capacity.
“The Train 7 expansion project will increase our LNG production capacity from 22 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 30 MTPA.
“Our investment in expansion shows that Nigeria is driving LNG growth not only for exports but also for domestic industries and energy access.
“We must prove that Africa can deliver LNG that is secure, competitive, and sustainable,” he added.
Osobu noted that the emerging LNG frontiers across the continent collectively represented more than 45 MTPA of potential new supply.
According to him, with these additions, Africa’s LNG output could rise from about 70 MTPA today to 120 MTPA by 2035, further consolidating the continent’s standing as a global LNG hub.
He pointed out Africa’s strategic advantage, including shorter shipping routes to both European and Asian markets, but said that competitiveness, financing, and domestic energy responsibility remained the continent’s biggest challenges.
Osobu observed that countries such as the United States and Qatar were rapidly expanding their LNG capacities, while global financiers increasingly demanded low-carbon and decarbonised LNG projects.
“Therefore, Africa’s LNG journey must strike a balance between reliably supplying the world, catalysing industrialisation across the continent, and demonstrating sustainability in line with global decarbonisation goals,” Osobu said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Africa Energy Week 2025 brought together policymakers, investors, and industry leaders to shape Africa’s energy future.
