Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has announced that the 2026 oil and gas licensing round will kick off by the third quarter of 2026.

According to the NUPRC, the announcement follows approval from the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri.

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The commission disclosed this in a statement issued, Wednesday, after a visit by management of the Meren Energy Group formerly Africa Oil, to its headquarters in Abuja.

According to the statement, NUPRC Chief Executive Officer, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, announced the timeline while receiving the delegation.

“The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) says the 2026 Licensing Round will commence latest by Q3 2026, having received the approval of the Minister of Petroleum Resources in line with the Petroleum Industry Act,” the statement said.

Mrs Eyesan expressed satisfaction with the progress of the ongoing 2025 Licensing Round, noting that the commercial bid phase is scheduled for July, after which preparations for the next round would begin.

A licensing round is a competitive process through which governments allocate oil and gas exploration and production rights to companies.

The announcement comes months after the NUPRC, under its former Chief Executive, Gbenga Komolafe, launched the 2025 licensing round, which took effect from 1 December 2025.

It would be recalled that in March, this year, the NUPRC announced the completion of the pre-qualification stage, enabling successful applicants to access and lease relevant geological and technical data required for technical and commercial bid submissions.

“With the pre-qualification stage now successfully completed, the Commission will, from today, March 17, 2026, permit successful applicants to lease data in preparation for the technical and commercial bid submissions,” the commission said at the time.

The regulator added that applicants would only be allowed to source data from approved channels and must provide evidence of payment before submitting bids.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mrs Eyesan noted that increased participation in the last 2025 licensing round reflects growing confidence in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector as she attributed the development to rising investments, improved production levels and reforms implemented under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

“We are also fortunate that the President and Minister of Petroleum Resources have approved the 2026 Licensing Round.

“So, we are in the process of finalising the 2026 launch which will happen latest by the third quarter. So, this is the make-or-break point, and we want to make sure we make it,” she said.

Remarking, Meren Energy Group CEO, Oliver Quinn, said reforms in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector have encouraged the company to expand its investments and participate more actively in asset acquisitions and licensing opportunities,” he said.