Sopuruchi Onwuka

Energy industry stakeholders in Africa have called on governments in the continent to realize the lingering goals of providing economies with sustainable, inclusive, and limitless energy supply in the face of a fast-changing global energy landscape.

Policy makers, regulators, industry players and analysts that participated in the opening ceremony of the 19^th OTL Africa Downstream Energy Conference in Lagos agreed that Africa must urgently position its energy sector to respond to the realities of an energy world defined by volatility, innovation, and transformation.

Chairman of the Advisory Board of OTL Africa Downstream Energy Week, Otunba Tunji Oyebanji, who delivered an opening address at the event which was hosted at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, noted that the global energy sector stands once again at a defining moment, shaped by shifting geopolitical tensions, evolving supply chains, and the accelerating march toward energy transition.

He pointed at advances in cleaner fuels, carbon capture, and renewable integration as new realities that compete for investment priorities.

For Africa and Nigeria, these global dynamics present both challenges and opportunities. With abundant natural resources and a young, dynamic population, he argued, Africa must now move beyond being a supplier of raw hydrocarbons to becoming a hub for innovation, efficiency, and value addition.

“Energy sustainability is not merely about preserving resources,” he said, adding that it is about building an industry that is competitive, responsible, and adaptable to a rapidly changing global environment.

In noting that Africa’s growing population, industrial expansion, and urbanization are driving record energy demand; Otunba Oyebanji called for policies that support more investments in refining, gas infrastructure, and cross-border trade are redrawing the energy map.

He stressed that the deregulation of Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector, the commercialization of gas, and the ongoing focus on infrastructure development have laid the groundwork for the country to lead Africa’s long-term growth and sustainable energy security.

He also called on government to provide the industry with an operating environment that guarantees policy consistency, institutional stability, and continuous innovation across the value chain.

To achieve sustainable energy security and shared growth within the continent, Otunba Oyebanji called for enhanced regional integration, renewable energy adoption, and technology-driven efficiency. He emphasized the importance of human capacity development, ensuring that Africa’s next generation of professionals is equipped to drive innovation and sustain industry progress.

In addressing issues in the domestic fuel market, he described the turbulence that followed subsidy removal and market liberalization as necessary steps toward building a more competitive, transparent, and efficient sector.

While operators continue to face cost pressures, supply chain challenges, and regulatory complexity, he said, the industry is also witnessing remarkable innovation in logistics, storage, digital trading, and cleaner fuel distribution. He stated that players response to the changing operating dynamics reflects signs of resilient market in the making. The key to sustaining this momentum, he stressed, lies in policy stability and regulatory predictability, which remain essential for attracting long-term capital and promoting fair competition.

He added that while competition remains vital to progress, it must be constructive, guided by fairness and shared goals.

“In this new era, collaboration becomes the new competition,” he said.

Otunba Oyebanji who is former Chairman of the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN) made it clear that Africa must define its own path to energy sustainability through investment in infrastructure, digital systems, and capacity building.

In urging stakeholders to uphold transparency, environmental responsibility, and collaboration as guiding principles, he declared that “the downstream sector remains at the heart of Africa’s energy value chain.”

He said the growth and transformation of the industry would determine how successfully the country and the continent navigate the new era of sustainability and competition.

The 19th edition of the OTL Africa Downstream Energy Week is themed “Energy Sustainability: Growth Beyond Boundaries and Competition.”

In her address, the Chief Executive Officer of OTL Downstream Development Africa Limited/Gte, Mrs Joyce Akabogu, pointed out that development of the downstream energy industry remains critical to firing Africa’s economic growth.

She noted that the sector’s performance determines how citizens experience the benefits of energy policy: fuel availability, transport efficiency, or industrial productivity.

“The downstream is where energy meets the people, where policy becomes impact, and where the effectiveness of governance is most visible,” she said, adding that “when it works well, citizens feel it; when it doesn’t, nations feel it too.”

Mrs Akabogu outlined a clear vision for strengthening Africa’s downstream industry through coordinated infrastructure development, regional cooperation, and technological advancement.

She called for major investments in refining, storage, and distribution facilities to reduce the continent’s dependence on fuel imports and stabilize supply chains. She also pointed at the need for regional value chains that allow countries to refine locally, trade regionally, and benefit collectively from shared energy infrastructure.

According to her, African governments and regulators must harmonize policies and standards to make cross-border energy trade seamless and attractive to investors. She proposed coherent regulation and policy alignment are vital to unlocking large-scale private sector participation and driving industry competitiveness.

She stressed the role of people and innovation in the transformation agenda, and advocated for deliberate efforts to develop technical skills, adopt cleaner technologies, and promote digital solutions that improve efficiency across operations and logistics.

Environmental sustainability, she added, must be at the core of this transformation, with greater attention to refining efficiency, emission reduction, and responsible waste management.

Mrs Akabogu called for coordinated continental energy infrastructure development to transcend national and institutional boundaries, saying, “if we align our infrastructure, policies, and talent, we can transform the downstream into a catalyst for industrialization and sustainable growth.”

She urged industry players, investors, and governments to think as one region, one market, and one ecosystem, united by the shared purpose of building an African downstream sector that is efficient, competitive, and sustainable.

“Together, we can build the future of Africa’s energy industry; one that powers growth, fosters inclusion, and defines our place in the global energy conversation.”