By: Tijani Salako.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has wooed investors across the energy value chain at the 2026 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC), as the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) urged investors to take advantage of the country’s 2026 licensing round, featuring 40 oil and gas blocks.
NNPC disclosed this in a statement on Monday, noting that it joined governments, national and international energy companies, investors and industry leaders at the opening ceremony of the conference, which commenced on November 2 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The NNPC delegation was led by its Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, alongside senior management officials of the company. Other Nigerian petroleum sector officials at the event included the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri; the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo; the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Patience Oyekunle; and the NUPRC Commission Chief Executive, Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan.
The opening ceremony featured an address by the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer, Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, setting the stage for four days of strategic dialogue and commercial discussions.
Following the opening ceremony, NNPC opened its exhibition stand to international energy stakeholders, showcasing investment opportunities across its upstream, midstream and downstream operations. The stand attracted early visitors, including the company’s Board Chairman, Ahmadu Musa Kida, members of its board and President and Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
NNPC said its participation in the conference, scheduled to run from November 2 to 5, also included presentations by members of its leadership across strategic and technical sessions, with discussions focused on the future of energy supply and engagement with international investors and industry peers.
In a related development, Eyesan urged investors to consider Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, describing the country as offering a stable investment climate amid intensifying global competition for energy investments.
She made the call during a roundtable discussion titled, ‘Energy Sovereignty in an Interconnected World: Aligning National Priorities, Markets and Global Security’, at the conference on Monday.
Eyesan disclosed that the NUPRC’s 2026 licensing round would feature 40 oil and gas blocks, with the bid portal scheduled to open on November 20, 2026. She said the commission expected investors to participate, citing the country’s fiscal framework, security improvements and incentives designed to make investments more attractive.
“We are expecting investors to turn to Nigeria. We are going in for another licensing round and we will be launching our bid portal on November 20. We expect to see interested investors because the environment is a lot more competitive,” she said.
The NUPRC chief executive added that the Petroleum Industry Act, enacted in 2021, and executive orders signed by President Bola Tinubu had contributed to improvements in Nigeria’s investment climate. She noted that the commission had conducted at least four licensing rounds between 2021 and 2026, attracting additional investments into the country.
Eyesan also highlighted Nigeria’s gas potential, stating that the country had 215 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, while daily production stood at about seven billion cubic feet. She said ongoing and proposed infrastructure projects, including the Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline and the Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline, could support domestic supply and meet demand across the region and beyond.
She maintained that Nigeria was taking steps to reduce investment risks associated with execution, costs, delays and uncertainty, adding that the country had made adjustments to attract the capital required to develop its petroleum resources.
The NUPRC boss further said Nigeria’s investment environment had become more competitive as countries continued to discover petroleum resources, stressing the need to attract investors capable of developing the country’s vast oil and gas reserves. She said the commission had introduced measures to address investors’ concerns about execution risks, costs, delays and uncertainty.
“We have set a very attractive fiscal framework for investors. The entire environment is a lot more secure. We have been able to manage costs with a lot of incentives for investors, and we expect to see investors take up the offer when we open the portal,” Eyesan said.
ADIPEC 2026 is expected to attract more than 239,000 participants from over 170 countries. The event is held under the patronage of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and hosted by ADNOC.
