Nigeria is making one of its boldest pitches yet to the global energy market, a $60 billion investment drive to supercharge gas production, build out critical infrastructure, and position itself as Africa’s energy powerhouse.

The plan was unveiled by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited’s Group CEO, Bayo Ojulari, during the Energy Talk segment at the 2025 Gastech Exhibition and Conference in Milan, Italy, a gathering that drew over 50,000 delegates and 1,000 exhibitors from 150 countries.

Speaking to an audience of global energy leaders, Ojulari set out a vision of Nigeria producing 12 billion cubic feet of gas daily while expanding refining capacity to meet rising global demand. He also reminded investors of the sheer potential still locked in crude oil, with more than 200 undeveloped oil fields and reservoirs capable of lifting production beyond the current 1.7 million barrels per day.

What makes this move significant is not just the size of the numbers but the timing. Nigeria is pushing this strategy as part of a broader energy transition plan that puts gas at the centre of industrial growth and clean cooking solutions.

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The government wants compressed natural gas to power the transportation sector, while LPG becomes a household staple to replace unsafe fuels still used by millions of Africans.

Ojulari said the drive is about more than output; it is about tackling energy poverty, ensuring access, and meeting the country’s economic needs in a world where the pressure to transition away from traditional fuels is mounting.

Several projects already underway highlight how the strategy is being anchored in reality. The Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano pipeline and the NLNG Train 7 development are both central to this push, while petrochemical and methanol plants are already attracting foreign investors.

Ojulari credited President Bola Tinubu’s reforms with improving the investment climate and positioning Nigeria as the “preferred destination” for African energy capital, but he also made it clear that foreign funding remains critical.

At the same time, the NNPC is keen to show it is listening to global concerns about sustainability. Commitments to carbon capture, energy efficiency technologies, and reduced gas flaring were all highlighted as part of the package Nigeria is putting on the table.

This balance of scale, reform, and sustainability was at the heart of the pitch delivered in Milan.

For Nigeria, this $60 billion ambition is about more than producing more barrels or cubic feet. It is about rewriting its role in the global energy story, as a country with the resources, the projects, and the political will to deliver, but also as a partner asking the world’s investors to take a bet on its future.

Anita Chinedu