By William Emmanuel Ukpoju
As the global energy landscape undergoes a profound transformation, Africa stands at a crossroads. With over 620 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves, the continent possesses the fuel to drive its industrial future. Yet, the central question remains: can Africa harness this wealth to secure its energy sovereignty and development, or will fragmented strategies and policy inertia squander the opportunity? The 2025 edition of the Africa Gas Innovation Summit (AGIS), held in Abuja, sought to answer this question.
Organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Council, AGIS 2025 attracted top policymakers, energy executives, researchers, and innovators from across the continent. The two-day summit—held at the PTDF Conference Centre under the theme “Building a Resilient Africa Gas Economy through Innovation and Collaboration”—delivered a robust mix of policy dialogue, technical sessions, and innovation showcases.
From keynote addresses to hackathons and policy labs, the summit underscored a singular truth: Africa’s gas agenda cannot succeed in isolation.
In her opening remark, the Chairperson of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Council, Dr Amina Danmadami, described the 2025 Africa Gas Innovation Summit (AGIS) as a crucial turning point for the continent’s energy future, urging stakeholders to move beyond rhetoric and embrace practical solutions.
Danmadami emphasized that Africa’s gas industry is standing at a crossroads. While the continent is richly endowed with natural gas resources, she pointed out that longstanding issues—such as inadequate infrastructure, disconnected regional markets, limited investment, and inconsistent policies—continue to hinder progress.
“This summit is not merely a gathering—it is a clarion call,” she said. “We must harness innovation and foster stronger collaboration if we are to overcome the barriers that limit Africa’s potential as a global gas leader.”
Danmadami further highlighted that AGIS 2025 would feature high-level conversations on priority areas, including gas-to-power development, clean cooking initiatives, regional energy integration, and the digital transformation of the gas value chain.
Also addressing participants, Ahmed Aminu, Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), reiterated the Fund’s dedication to strengthening capacity and supporting strategic policy engagement within Nigeria’s energy landscape.
“We are particularly inspired by this year’s theme, which highlights the importance of collaboration,” Aminu noted. “PTDF is deeply committed to fostering partnerships between government institutions, academic bodies, and industry players. We believe such cooperation is fundamental to achieving a resilient, inclusive, and forward-looking energy sector in Africa.”
Breaking Silos: Why Regional Synergy Matters
Setting the tone for the summit, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, emphasised the need for continental cohesion in gas development. Delivering his address through his Technical Adviser on Downstream, Abel Igeghe, the minister warned against siloed national strategies and called for deeper cross-border partnerships and harmonised infrastructure planning.
“Africa is at an inflection point in its energy journey,” Ekpo said. “While the global momentum for decarbonisation accelerates, our approach must reflect Africa’s realities. Natural gas remains our bridge fuel—capable of delivering industrialisation, energy access, and economic diversification.”
He referenced Nigeria’s “Decade of Gas” initiative, a flagship of the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, as a blueprint for how strategic gas development can drive socio-economic transformation. However, he cautioned that even robust national frameworks cannot substitute for regional coordination.
“Pipelines like the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Project and the West African Gas Pipeline are more than infrastructure; they are arteries of continental growth. We must de-risk these ventures through stable regulatory frameworks, investor incentives, and political alignment.”
Innovation as the Cornerstone of Resilience
Beyond policy coordination, AGIS 2025 emphasised innovation as the lifeblood of Africa’s energy future. In a continent where traditional energy infrastructure remains patchy and financing options are limited, leapfrogging through innovation offers the fastest path to resilience.
The Innovation Poster Sessions and Startup Pitch Expo featured over 30 companies and research institutions showcasing solutions in infrastructure monitoring, digital gas metering, and mini-LNG systems. The standout feature was a rapid-fire “hackathon launch”, where interdisciplinary teams were challenged to co-create five scalable solutions addressing real gas industry bottlenecks.
“The heartbeat of sustainability is innovation,” Minister Ekpo declared. “We must nurture African solutions—supporting our startups, engineers, and scientists to lead the low-carbon transition.”
Home-Grown Financing for African Energy
One of the most urgent conversations at AGIS 2025 revolved around investment—or the lack thereof. Dr Omar Farouk Ibrahim, Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO), delivered a blunt assessment: Africa is underfunding its energy future.
“Africa exports 45 per cent of the gas and 75 per cent of the crude it produces, yet remains the region with the highest population without access to modern energy,” he said. “It’s a contradiction that speaks to misplaced priorities.”
Dr. Farouk lamented that out of a projected $89 billion needed for oil and gas projects across the continent, only $4 billion has been committed to active projects. The remaining $85 billion remains tied in political red tape and uncertain regulatory environments.
“Until Africa can significantly fund and build its own projects, reduce technological dependence, and retain value within our borders, integration into global gas markets will remain elusive,” he warned.
Women Leading the Charge
Adding another layer of insight, Engr. Margaret Aina Oguntala, FNSE, President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, offered a passionate call for inclusive energy leadership. As the Special Guest of Honour, she praised AGIS 2025 for foregrounding collaboration, digitalisation, and local content.
“Gas is not just a fuel—it is a catalyst for development, and engineering is its enabler,” she said. “But to truly scale, we need solutions that are ethical, inclusive, and rooted in African contexts.”
Oguntala reaffirmed the NSE’s commitment to promoting sustainable engineering and cross-sector partnerships, encouraging governments, academia, and the private sector to break silos and act collectively.
Engineering a Practical Agenda
The summit was not merely a series of speeches; it was a working platform. Breakout workshops tackled themes like infrastructure financing, workforce development, and policy harmonisation. In one standout session, titled “Financing Domestic Infrastructure: Closing the Gaps”, finance leaders developed a six-month roadmap for deploying blended finance models across two African countries. Simultaneously, a parallel workshop on local content produced a framework for training and certifying 500 local gas professionals within 12 months.
The Regulatory Roundtable, involving stakeholders from ministries and the private sector, committed to producing a “Policy Checklist” aimed at reducing project approval time by 30 per cent over the next year. This would be achieved through simplified tariff structures, faster environmental clearances, and clearer licensing pathways.
In the CEO–Startup Fireside Chat, two memoranda of understanding (MOUs) were drafted between multinationals and African startups to pilot digital metering and off-grid LNG deployment within nine months.
Capital, Markets, and the Quest for Integration
Day two of AGIS 2025 shifted attention to the larger African market and how to position it for global competitiveness. The keynote address—delivered by a senior representative of a regional economic bloc—announced a bold ambition: reduce cross-border trade barriers in gas by 25% within a year.
This was followed by a high-level investor & government panel, where venture capitalists, sovereign wealth funds, and public-sector stakeholders debated the pathway to unified energy markets. The major outcomes included commitments to roll out two pan-African gas financing platforms within six months and pilot real-time pricing systems to enhance market transparency.
Hackathon finalists then pitched their prototypes before a judging panel of energy executives and venture capitalists. Two winning teams secured immediate interest from funders, with one securing a fast-tracked pilot agreement.
From Dialogue to Delivery
One of the most forward-looking sessions was the Interactive Policy Lab, where participants drafted a legal and digital framework for regional gas trading. This included design specifications for a digital gas trading platform and fiscal terms for bilateral gas exchange.
In the subsequent “Startups & Scale-Ups” session, pitches were delivered for digital aggregation platforms that connect small-scale producers to major buyers, helping to address market inefficiencies and liquidity issues. Two term sheets and partnership LOIs were signed on the spot.
The summit’s ESG-focused closing roundtable presented two funding models linked to measurable carbon reduction targets, such as a 10% emissions reduction in selected pilot sites within a year. This conversation set the tone for Africa’s alignment with global climate targets, not as a concession, but as a strategic advantage.
A Declaration of Purpose
AGIS 2025 concluded with a declaration ceremony titled “Turning Vision into Action”. Here, summit organisers unveiled the “Open Market Action Agenda”, outlining specific 6-month and 12-month milestones:
• Pilot deployment of at least three innovations from the summit
• Reduction of gas project approval timelines by 30%
• Establishment of five cross-border energy partnerships
• Training of 500 gas sector professionals
• Two pan-African financing models initiated
Stakeholders—including government ministers, CEOs, and development partners—signed up to these targets, turning commitment into accountability.
Charting a New Course for African Energy
The Africa Gas Innovation Summit 2025 proved more than a conference; it was a continental audit of ambition, gaps, and resolve. Its impact lay not in grand pronouncements but in the specificity of its goals, the seriousness of its actors, and the spirit of collaboration that permeated its sessions.
For a continent endowed with energy yet plagued by energy poverty, AGIS 2025 made a compelling case for a different future — one powered by African capital, talent, and unity.
What remains now is implementation
“The time for talk is over,” said Amina Danmadami, Chair of the SPE Nigeria Council, in her closing statement. “The gas economy we envision must now be built—with urgency, with clarity, and with courage.”