The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, is targeting up to $10 billion in gas investments through its Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund, MDGIF, which has deployed about $300 million to de-risk projects and attract private capital.
The Chief Executive of NMDPRA, Mallam Rabiu Abdullahi Umar, disclosed this on Wednesday during a panel session at the 2026 Gastech Conference in Bangkok, Thailand.
He said the MDGIF provides seed capital and equity financing to reduce investment risks and encourage private-sector participation in Nigeria’s gas industry.
“We have a fund which is called the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund, and that fund is designed to de-risk projects. So we put in equity,” Umar said.
Explaining the fund’s strategy, he said its impact would be measured by the additional investment attracted through its initial financing.
“The $10 billion is the target to say, can we reach a point where we unlock investment in that space of up to $10 billion? That is the kind of trajectory that we’re looking at in terms of deepening investment in gas,” he said.
Umar said the MDGIF was focused on supporting projects across the gas value chain, including liquefied natural gas, LNG; floating LNG; liquefied petroleum gas, LPG; and compressed natural gas, CNG.
He added that Nigeria had close to $20 billion in energy investments at different stages of development, including projects that had reached final investment decisions or were under construction.
The NMDPRA chief said Nigeria’s energy strategy was anchored on ensuring gas availability, affordability and infrastructure development, noting that the country had more than 210 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves.
According to him, the current global energy situation has reinforced the importance of energy security and the need for countries to maximise the use of resources available to them.
“For us, really, what comes first is making sure the molecules are there,” he said.
Umar described gas as Nigeria’s transition fuel, saying the country was seeking to move away from oil while limiting the use of coal.
He argued that developing countries faced different energy-transition realities from advanced economies, particularly in terms of energy affordability and the cost of deploying renewable-energy infrastructure.
He said the cost of installing renewable-energy projects, including solar and wind, could be significantly higher in developing countries, making it difficult to adopt a uniform energy-transition pathway.
Umar maintained that expanding gas infrastructure and generation would remain central to meeting Africa’s growing energy needs, particularly as demand rises from industries, power generation and emerging technologies.
Regulation, infrastructure key to investment
Umar identified infrastructure development and predictable regulation as critical to attracting investment and expanding gas supply across Nigeria and Africa.
He cited the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano, AKK, gas pipeline as a major project designed to transport gas from southern Nigeria to the northern part of the country.
He also pointed to the proposed Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, which is expected to connect Nigeria with Algeria and provide a potential route for gas exports to Europe.
According to him, regulatory cooperation among countries was necessary to ensure that cross-border gas infrastructure operates efficiently, including through harmonised standards for gas measurement, custody transfer and transportation.
He said NMDPRA was working towards a more open-market framework to provide investors with greater certainty and predictability.
“Investments don’t go where you are not certain about the regulatory framework,” Umar said, stressing the need for reliable regulations and infrastructure to support investment.
He added that governments might need to intervene in some cases to create the conditions required for major infrastructure projects to proceed.
Other speakers at the session also highlighted the importance of regulatory consistency, energy security and affordability in advancing the energy transition.
The Director of the Association of Mediterranean Energy Regulators, MEDREG, Hassan Ozkoc, said regulatory cooperation and common minimum standards were needed to improve interoperability and integration of energy systems across countries.
He said the energy transition should recognise the different roles of coal, oil and gas, arguing that gas remained important to energy security.
Kavita Ahluwalia of Uniper said Europe was increasingly prioritising affordability and industrial competitiveness alongside decarbonisation.
She said Europe needed to recognise the continuing role of gas in its energy system and cautioned against imposing a single energy-transition pathway on countries with different circumstances.
Ahluwalia also called for global solutions to energy challenges, saying Europe should not dictate to other regions how to manage their energy transitions.
