Energy Transition: Africa’s Energy Future Must Be Defined By Africans – Ogunsanya
By Ndubuisi Micheal Obineme
…underscores the pivotal role of the oil and gas industry in Africa.
Engr. Wole Ogunsanya, Chairman, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, PETAN, has said that Africa’s energy future must be defined by Africans, underscoring the pivotal role the oil and gas industry contributes to bridging the energy access gap on the continent.
Speaking at the 2026 Sub-Saharan Africa Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (SAIPEC), the PETAN Chairman stated that Africa’s challenges include energy access, affordability, and reliability.
He said, “Over 600 million Africans lack access to electricity and industrial growth, constrained by energy deficit. These are very serious issues that we are addressing across the African continent.
“Today, if you check the statistics. Africa, on average, consumes 25% energy per capita compared to the developed nations in Europe and North America. Africa’s energy future must be defined by Africans.
“The countries that consume less energy have a lower life expectancy because, without energy, we all know the implications. It hinders countries from having the opportunity to industrialize and power their institutions.
“We must continue what we have to do to increase access to energy. It is our responsibility in the oil and gas industry to provide energy access on the African continent.”
The Role of Indigenous Companies in African Oil and Gas Industry
Speaking further, PETAN Chairman highlighted the significant growth in indigenous capacity across Nigeria’s energy value chain, attributing the progress to local content policies and deliberate capacity development.
According to him, Nigerian indigenous firms now lead in drilling, engineering and fabrication, asset acquisition, field development, and technology deployment.
“PETAN members have evolved from service providers to strategic partners, delivering complex projects to international standards,” he said, while cautioning that sustaining the gains requires policy consistency, access to financing, contract sanctity and stronger collaboration between operators and service companies.
He also underscored the role of technology — digitalisation, automation and low-carbon solutions—in improving efficiency, safety and sustainability across the African oil and gas industry.
Ogunsanya called for increased partnerships among governments, regulators, indigenous companies, international oil companies, financiers and development institutions to accelerate gas development, deepen local content utilisation, create jobs and position Africa as a competitive and reliable energy destination.
“A decade ago, we set out to drive Africa’s energy future. Today, we are at the beginning of a more ambitious chapter,” he said, reaffirming PETAN’s commitment to building a resilient, inclusive and sustainable energy industry across the African continent.
