Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) Ekperikpe Ekpo has intensified Nigeria’s push to attract fresh investment into its gas sector, leading high-level engagements at Gastech 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, aimed at converting the country’s 215.19 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of proven gas reserves into industrial growth and export earnings.

The engagements, which ran alongside the global gas conference from September 14 to 17, 2026, focused on gas production, infrastructure, LNG expansion, industrialisation and access to new export markets.

In a statement issued in Abuja by his spokesman, Louis Ibah, Ekpo told prospective investors that Nigeria was open for business under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

“Nigeria is open for business. We have put in place the right fiscal policies and operating environment, and the security of investors and their investments is guaranteed,” Ekpo said.

A key outcome of the engagements was renewed momentum behind the proposed Nigeria–Libya Gas Pipeline. During talks with Libya’s Minister of Oil and Gas, Dr Khalifa Rajab Abdulsadek, both sides agreed to take steps towards developing a structured framework for the project.

The two countries will explore the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and establish a joint technical team, with NNPC Limited expected to spearhead Nigeria’s participation.

The technical team will examine the project’s feasibility, financing options, infrastructure requirements, security considerations and commercial viability — moving the proposal beyond the conceptual stage.

If developed, the pipeline would provide an additional route for transporting Nigerian gas through North Africa to European markets, giving Nigeria another platform to monetise its gas resources beyond existing LNG channels.

The project is part of a broader trans-Saharan corridor designed to move gas from southern Nigeria through Chad and Libya before extending subsea to Sicily, Italy, with a proposed capacity of up to 30 billion cubic metres annually. The Netoil consortium advancing the initiative expects it to mobilise indicative investment exceeding $20 billion across upstream gas development and midstream pipeline infrastructure.

Beyond the Libya pipeline, Ekpo’s engagements revealed plans by major industry players to significantly increase domestic gas production.

Seplat Energy Plc outlined initiatives that could raise its gas output to as much as two billion standard cubic feet per day through its ANOH project, western operations and offshore fields. Discussions also covered strategic gas infrastructure projects including Oso Floating LNG, UTM FLNG and Ibom LNG, as well as financing partnerships and plans for an industrial park around the Qua Iboe Terminal corridor to stimulate gas-based industries and manufacturing.

Heirs Energies CEO Osayande Igiehon briefed the minister on efforts to expand gas production, improve asset performance and support the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme through the provision of flare sites for commercial development.

Ekpo also pressed for progress on the Nigeria LNG Train 7 Project during a meeting with Daewoo E&C Nigeria Country Chairman Joseph Penawou. Discussions covered contractor payments, project timelines, safety performance and quality assurance. The minister stressed the need for the project to be delivered on schedule to strengthen Nigeria’s position in the global LNG market.

Nigeria used the gathering to pursue additional markets for its oil and gas resources. Bangladesh’s Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Iqbal Hassan Mahmood, expressed interest in sourcing Nigerian LNG and crude oil, with both countries exploring broader energy cooperation as Nigeria seeks to diversify its export destinations.

In a separate meeting with United States Deputy Secretary of Energy James Danly, Ekpo discussed gas-sector investment, technology deployment, energy security and clean cooking initiatives aimed at improving energy access and reducing dependence on traditional fuels.

Ekpo also met Senegal’s Minister of Energy and Petroleum, El Hadji Abdourahmane Diouf, to discuss cooperation across the oil and gas value chain. Senegal expressed interest in Nigeria’s experience in gas development, local content implementation and institutional capacity building, including potential collaboration with NNPC Limited, Nigeria LNG Limited and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board.

Nigeria’s proven gas reserves stood at 215.19 TCF as of January 1, 2026, according to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, comprising 100.21 TCF of associated gas and 114.98 TCF of non-associated gas. The reserves are the largest in Africa and among the top ten globally.

NNPC Limited has unveiled a Gas Master Plan targeting an increase in national gas production to 10 billion cubic feet per day by 2027 and 12 billion cubic feet per day by 2030, with a longer-term ambition to raise proven reserves from 215 TCF to more than 600 TCF.

The engagements in Bangkok are expected to feed into Nigeria’s broader strategy of using gas as a transition fuel to drive industrialisation, expand power generation, support fertiliser and petrochemical production, and strengthen the country’s position as a regional and global energy partner.