Nigeria, IEA Partner to Drive Energy Investment and Security
By Our Reporter
Nigeria and the International Energy Agency (IEA) have signed a Joint Work Programme aimed at strengthening cooperation on energy data, policy development and investment across the country’s energy value chain.
The agreement was signed on Thursday, marking the formal commencement of Nigeria’s strategic partnership with the Paris-based agency.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the event, described Nigeria’s admission into the IEA as an Association Country as a significant milestone and evidence of the gains of the administration’s economic reforms.
Shettima said the development also validated the government’s policy direction and its efforts to harness Nigeria’s vast energy resources to drive economic growth and strengthen energy security.
According to him, Nigeria’s admission reflects the country’s growing strategic importance in the global energy landscape and the confidence placed in its commitment to international energy cooperation.
“Nigeria’s admission as an association country with the IEA is a significant milestone for our country and it reflects Nigeria’s strategic importance in the global energy landscape and the confidence that IEA has placed in our commitment to constructive international energy cooperation,” he said.
The Vice President said Nigeria stood to benefit significantly from the IEA’s institutional knowledge, technical expertise, data and global reach.
He also highlighted Nigeria’s abundant renewable energy resources, noting that the government was committed to repositioning the economy by leveraging the country’s available energy potential.
Shettima assured the IEA delegation of Nigeria’s readiness to deepen collaboration with stakeholders and contribute meaningfully to global discussions on energy security and a fair and just energy transition.
IEA promises support for Nigeria
Speaking during the event, the IEA Executive Director, Dr Fatih Birol, said the organisation works with governments across various energy and technology fields, including oil, gas, solar energy, nuclear power, artificial intelligence and electric vehicles.
Birol said the agency draws on the expertise of hundreds of energy specialists globally to provide policy advice, data and technical support to member and partner countries.
He noted that Nigeria’s admission followed extensive consultations and considerations, including discussions with the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo.
Birol said the IEA’s governing board, comprising representatives of countries including the United States, Japan, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, unanimously approved Nigeria’s admission.
He pledged the agency’s support for Nigeria’s energy sector in the coming years.
“The IEA will accompany the Nigerian energy sector for the next few years to come for a much better energy future. We will provide policy advice from clean cooking to gas markets, from gas markets to training Nigerian experts at the IEA on our own,” Birol said.
FG links IEA admission to economic reforms
Ekpo said Nigeria’s admission into the IEA was a reflection of the performance of the Tinubu administration and the reforms implemented since it assumed office.
He said the Joint Work Programme would facilitate greater involvement of IEA technical experts in developing reliable energy data to guide policymaking and investment across the value chain.
According to him, the initiative is expected to contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth and strengthen national energy security.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, described the partnership as strategically important to Nigeria.
He said the Nigerian Mission in Paris played an important role in facilitating the country’s admission into the IEA.
Enikanolaiye also pledged the commitment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensuring that the partnership delivers maximum benefits to Nigerians.
He said the ministry would continue to facilitate and coordinate efforts to ensure that the government’s domestic policies are effectively projected internationally in furtherance of Nigeria’s national interests.
Energy Commission welcomes partnership
The Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, said the commission had maintained a relationship with the IEA over the years, including through the joint sponsorship of Nigeria’s last National Energy Master Plan.
He noted, however, that the relationship previously lacked a formal structure.
Abdullahi expressed optimism that Nigeria’s formal association with the IEA and the signing of the Joint Work Programme would strengthen cooperation between both institutions and enhance Nigeria’s capacity for effective energy planning and policy development.
