By Bunmi Aduloju

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Ekperipe Ekpo, minister of state for petroleum resources (gas), says the Internationergy Agency (IEA) has officially admitted Nigeria as its newest associate member.

Ekpo spoke on Tuesday during the NOG Energy Week 2026 conference, held in Abuja.

He said the admission makes Nigeria the IEA’s sixth African association member and the first member of the Organisation of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) to attain the status.

According to the minister, “on July 2nd 2026, the International Energy Agency officially admitted Nigeria as its newest association country”.

“As the first OPEC member to partner with the IEA and its sixth African association member, Nigeria is uniquely anchoring a balanced global dialogue, ensuring equitable energy transitions while defending the right of developing nations to responsibly harness their gas assets,” he said.

Ekpo said Nigeria has also assumed the presidency of the 2026 gas exporting countries forum (GECF) ministerial meeting, “alongside the election of Nigeria’s Philip Mshelbila as the forum’s secretary-general”.

“This dual leadership at the helm of the world’s premier gas alliance reflects international confidence in our technical expertise and policy vision,” he said.

Furthermore, Ekpo said when he assumed office, “our team embraced a clear mandate: To transform natural gas from an export commodity into the primary engine of Nigeria’s economic growth”.

“Every initiative undertaken by the Ministry has therefore been guided by one fundamental question: ‘How does this improve the competitiveness and resilience of the Nigerian economy?’ The answer has shaped our priorities,” the minister said.

“Resilient economies are not built by exporting raw materials alone; they are built by capturing and multiplying value at home.

“This is the core philosophy driving our Decade of Gas initiative. We are aggressively directing natural gas to power our domestic industries, feed our fertiliser and petrochemical plants, revolutionise commercial transportation, and provide clean cooking solutions for millions of Nigerian families.”

The minister said every cubic feet of gas utilised domestically directly creates local jobs, strengthens industrial productivity, reduces dependence on imports, and improves the standard of living.

Source: TheCable