Sopuruchi Onwuka

Investors and stakeholders in Africa’s petroleum and allied industries on Monday urged governments across the continent to ease cross-border movement of goods and services to enable businesses fully realize the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

They also called for harmonized policies on trade tariffs, customs and immigration processes, quality standards, and currency exchange to support seamless intra-African trade.

These resolutions formed part of the outcomes of the 2026 AfCFTA Energy Summit hosted at the conference centre of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

In a keynote address, the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Felix Ogbe, said the African Union’s vision for AfCFTA was anchored on regional integration of people, capital, and production capacity. He noted that Nigeria had already developed a framework for domesticating energy production to drive economic growth across the continent.

Ogbe, whose address was delivered by the Director of Corporate Services, Dr Abdulmalik Halilu, said Nigeria was well positioned to lead the realisation of AfCFTA objectives through capacity development and export of services. He stated that the country currently boasts world-class oilfield services capacity and leads in cross-border energy infrastructure development.

According to him, Nigeria’s growing oilfield services capacity has supported the rise of indigenous independent producers and offers an opportunity for African energy companies to tackle energy poverty and stimulate economic growth across the continent.

Ogbe said effective implementation of AfCFTA would accelerate Africa’s development by transforming its collective $3.4 trillion economy into a competitive global supply chain, reducing trade barriers and unlocking intra-African commerce.

He stressed that the urgency of activating AfCFTA made it imperative for African governments to remove constraints to the free flow of goods and services to bridge supply gaps across the continent.

He also disclosed that Nigeria’s petroleum industry was shifting from reliance on crude export revenues to in-country value addition, noting that the country’s expanding refining capacity is aimed at displacing petroleum product imports into Africa from other continents.

Ogbe identified harmonized regulations and quality standards, collaborative customs control, and simplified rules of origin as key requirements for accelerating intra-African trade.

In his industry leadership remarks, the Chairman of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Engr. Wole Ogunsanya, paid tribute to PETAN’s founding members, including Engr. Emeka Ene, for driving local capacity development in Nigeria’s petroleum industry.

Ogunsanya said PETAN companies invested over $100 million in 2025 to support independent producers in meeting enhanced production targets. He urged African countries to align efforts toward retaining resource value within national and continental economies, describing AfCFTA as a platform to expand local value retention initiatives pioneered by the NCDMB.

He also highlighted PETAN’s role in building industry skills through internship and capacity development programmes, noting that indigenous oil service companies now dominate activities in Nigeria’s conventional upstream terrains.

Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), Mr Gbite Falade, described AfCFTA’s 1.4 billion population and $3.4 trillion GDP as a strong market incentive for increased investment by independent producers to meet Africa’s growing energy demand.

Falade said IPPG was contributing to the continent’s energy security agenda, noting that Nigerian independents were increasingly taking control of petroleum production from international oil companies.

He lamented that despite Africa being the world’s most resource-endowed continent, it remains energy-poor, with over 100 million women and children reportedly dying annually from complications linked to dirty cooking fuels.

Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN), Mazi Sam Azuka, emphasised the critical role of energy in Africa’s development and pledged OGTAN’s commitment to providing skilled human capacity to support industry growth.

Also speaking, a founding member of Women in Energy Network (WIEN), Mrs Patricia Simon-Hart, pledged continued support for women in the energy industry through investment mobilisation and capacity development. Simon-Hart, who is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aftrac Limited and a PETAN member, also sits on the board of Aradel Holdings Plc.

She called for targeted incentives for women-led businesses to enable them contribute fully to continental investment, service delivery, and capacity building needed to drive Africa’s growth.

Other industry groups at the summit urged African governments to collaborate urgently on regulatory harmonisation, low tariffs, and ease of movement to ensure the continent’s industries remain globally competitive.

They cautioned against local content policies that create barriers to integration, warning that protectionist approaches could hinder cooperation and cross-border collaboration.

Panel discussions at the summit focused on AfCFTA’s potential to build strong regional integration through competitive supply chains that would shift Africa from exporting raw materials to producing high-value goods.

Identified pathways included the development of regional value chains, improved infrastructure connectivity linking ports, rail networks, maritime corridors and special economic zones, as well as standardised customs processes, product standards and digital trade documentation.

Panelists also commended the NCDMB’s efforts in developing industrial clusters and sector-focused hubs, while calling for the digitisation of supplier networks to integrate indigenous firms into continental markets.

Expected outcomes, according to presenters, include lower production costs, globally competitive supply chains, increased intra-African trade, improved energy security, innovation-driven growth, and a more resilient African economy.