Chairman, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Mr. Wole Ogunsanya, has urged African countries to strengthen local capacity and harness natural resources to secure their energy future amid global shifts
Ogunsanya said this in an interview with newsmen on the sidelines of the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) 2026 in Houston, Texas, U.S.
Speaking on the conference theme, “Africa’s Energy Transformation: Scaling Investments, Technology and Local Capacity for Sustainable Growth”, Ogunsanya said Africa must take urgent steps to secure its energy future.
“The world is changing rapidly. Countries are becoming more regional in their economic and energy priorities. Energy security is now a major global concern,” he said.
Ogunsanya pointed to major investments in shale gas in the U.S., Europe’s renewable energy push and China’s dominance in electric vehicle and battery technology as indicators of the changing global energy landscape.
According to him, Africa must leverage its abundant oil and gas resources to drive industrialisation, economic growth and energy independence.
“Africa cannot afford to be left behind.
“We may not yet dominate battery technology, but we have enormous oil and gas resources that the world still needs,” he said.
Ogunsanya said Africa holds more than 120 billion barrels of oil reserves and vast gas deposits, while Nigeria alone has over 200 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves.
“The resources are there. The challenge is how Africa can harness them for development,” he said.
He linked low energy consumption across Africa to poverty, weak industrial growth and lower life expectancy.
“People with access to energy preserve food better, process agricultural products, store medicine properly and ultimately live longer,” he said.
Ogunsanya stressed that closing Africa’s energy gap was critical to improving living standards and creating opportunities for millions of young people across the continent.
He said PETAN had continued to promote indigenous participation and regional collaboration through the African Local Content Association (ALCA).
According to him, Nigerian firms now possess the technical expertise and operational experience needed to support energy projects across Africa.
“The capacity Nigeria has today in oil and gas is greater than that of many African countries combined.
“We have a responsibility to support our African brothers and help transfer knowledge faster across the continent,” he said.
Ogunsanya credited Nigeria’s local content policy and the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010 for strengthening indigenous capacity in the sector.
He added that many successful Nigerian energy companies emerged from decades of experience acquired while working with multinational firms.
“What took Nigeria nearly 70 years to learn can now be transferred to other African countries within 10 to 15 years through collaboration,” he said.
Ogunsanya also welcomed plans for the launch of the African Energy Bank in July 2026, describing it as a significant step toward financing indigenous energy development.
“We have the people, the resources and the market.
“What we need now is financing, collaboration and the political will to build Africa for Africans,” he said.
He reiterated PETAN’s commitment to promoting policies and partnerships that support local participation, technology transfer and sustainable energy growth across Africa.
Similarly, Ogunsanya said that indigenous Nigerian companies are gaining stronger footholds in major oil and gas projects, including deepwater operations previously dominated by foreign firms.
He said PETAN members were now actively involved in strategic projects such as Bonga North, Ubeta, Zabazaba, Chevron deepwater operations and other major upstream developments across Nigeria.
According to him, after years of slow Final Investment Decisions (FIDs), Nigeria is finally witnessing the return of large-scale energy projects, creating fresh opportunities for indigenous companies.
“It has been difficult over the years for new projects to come on stream, but in the last two years we are seeing significant progress,” he said.
Ogunsanya disclosed that PETAN established a Business Strategy Committee to track indigenous participation in major industry projects and ensure local companies maximise emerging opportunities.
The committee, headed by industry executive, Val Ubadike, is compiling data on the level of PETAN members’ involvement across the sector.
“We are not resting on our oars.
“We are encouraging all indigenous companies to compete for these jobs, and our members are already at the forefront of many critical projects,” Ogunsanya said.
He revealed that PETAN member companies were handling specialised services in major offshore projects, including subsea operations, umbilical design, drilling, well services and rig supply.
“In the Ubeta gas project, the rig that will drill the gas wells belongs to a PETAN member.
“In Bonga North, our members are involved in underwater engineering and other technical services,” he said.
Ogunsanya said indigenous firms were succeeding because they now had world-class technical expertise and could deliver services at lower costs than many foreign competitors.
“There is no doubt that Nigerian companies can deliver services as efficiently as any company in the world.
“In many cases, we even deliver cheaper because our operating costs within Nigeria are lower.”
He noted that PETAN members continued to make deliberate sacrifices to support local industry growth, even when they can earn more from projects in other African countries.
“We are committed to building Nigeria’s energy sector,” he added.
“Our members are willing to offer competitive pricing because we understand the long-term value of developing local capacity.”
According to him, PETAN members are now actively competing and winning contracts in deepwater operations, an area previously dominated almost entirely by international oil service giants.
“We are not asking for favours or contracts on a platter of gold.
“Our companies go through the full tendering and due diligence processes. We compete professionally, and we are proving our technical capacity.”
Ogunsanya said PETAN aimed to secure between 25 and 30 per cent of total contract value in major projects, noting that the association already represented a substantial portion of Nigeria’s local oil and gas service capacity.
The PETAN chairman also urged the Federal Government to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks delaying the importation of critical oil and gas equipment into the country.
He lamented that prolonged port clearance procedures, customs delays and multiple regulatory bottlenecks continue to increase project costs and slow execution timelines.
“Some equipment spend several months at the ports before clearance,” he said.
“These delays add significantly to the cost of production and discourage investment.”
Ogunsanya called for emergency reforms similar to incentives already granted to sectors such as agriculture and healthcare.
According to him, Nigeria’s oil and gas industry requires special government support if the country hopes to achieve its production targets and strengthen energy security.
“We are in an emergency situation in the energy sector,” he said.
“The government must create faster clearance processes and provide import duty incentives for critical oil and gas equipment.”
He stressed that easier access to specialised equipment would accelerate project delivery, reduce operational costs and support Nigeria’s ambition of increasing crude oil production to about three million barrels per day.
Ogunsanya maintained that strengthening indigenous participation remains critical to Nigeria’s economic growth, job creation and long-term energy sustainability.
“The future of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry must be built by Nigerians.
“PETAN members are already proving that local companies can deliver at the highest global standard,” he said.
By Yunus Yusuf