Nigeria and IEA sign pact on energy policy and security

Nigeria has entered the International Energy Agency’s circle of partner countries, in a move Vice President Kashim Shettima described as a milestone for the country’s energy ambitions.

Nigeria and the Paris-based agency signed a Joint Work Programme covering energy policy, investment, economic growth and energy security. Shettima said the agreement reflected Nigeria’s strategic importance in the global energy landscape and the confidence the IEA had placed in its commitment to international energy cooperation.

He linked the development to President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms and said the country’s admission justified the administration’s policy choices. Nigeria, he added, could draw on the IEA’s institutional knowledge, intellectual resources, global reach and technical expertise as it works to develop its energy sector.

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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 the IEA has placed in our commitment to constructive international energy cooperation.

Shettima also pointed to Nigeria’s renewable energy resources and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to using available resources to reposition the economy. He said Nigeria would continue working with stakeholders and contribute to discussions on a fair and just energy transition.

Fatih Birol, who led the IEA delegation, said the agency works across the full range of energy technologies, including oil, gas, solar power, nuclear energy, artificial intelligence and electric vehicles. It draws on the advice and expertise of the world’s leading energy specialists, he said.

Birol said joining the IEA family required extensive review and testing. After detailed discussions with Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) Ekperikpe Ekpo, the agency’s governing board, comprising governments including the United States, Japan, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, voted unanimously to accept Nigeria. The IEA, Birol said, would accompany Nigeria’s energy sector toward a better energy future.

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The IEA will accompany the Nigerian energy sector for the next few years to come for a much better energy future.