Nigeria’s mobility outlook: CNG and EVs will become mainstream transportation – Ahmed
In this interview, PiCNG & EVs’ Executive Chairman/CEO, Barr. Ismaeel Ahmed, talks to Ndubuisi Micheal Obineme, Managing Editor, The Energy Republic, stating that compressed natural gas and electric vehicles will become part of Nigeria’s mainstream transportation in the future.
In his words, Ahmed also outlined the progress made in expanding vehicle conversion centres across the country, including refuelling infrastructure, and the ongoing efforts by the organization to make CNG and EVs affordable to all Nigerians. Excerpts:
TER: What were the most significant milestones recorded by the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (PiCNG & EV) within 2025 and 2026?
Ahmed: In 2025, the Initiative moved from early mobilisation to visible implementation. We expanded conversion capacity by 300 per cent, onboarded more conversion centres, supported growth in refuelling infrastructure, deployed CNG and EV platforms, and strengthened partnerships with states, operators, financiers, OEMs and regulators.
This demonstrated that clean mobility is not limited to one part of the country. These achievements provide the foundation for 2026, where the focus is now on scaling, deeper infrastructure penetration, safety compliance, access to financing, and wider adoption.
A major milestone this year was the activation of key corridors, including the Northern Corridor rollout, which kicked off in Kano and expanded to Kaduna, Gombe, Maiduguri, and Katsina, with the deployment of 40 CNG buses, seven electric buses, and over 200 CNG-powered tricycles.
TER: What are the emerging trends shaping CNG & EV adoption in Nigeria as of today?
Ahmed: The CNG and EV landscape in Nigeria is evolving rapidly, driven by several converging trends. First, we’re seeing stronger engagement on energy security on a global scale and the need to ensure unfettered energy access.
From a national perspective, state governments are increasingly recognising gas-powered transportation as a solution for reducing transport costs, improving energy security, and stimulating local economic development.
At the same time, financial institutions are beginning to develop innovative financing models that will make vehicle conversions and fleet acquisitions more accessible.
Secondly, the private sector is responding with significant investments in refuelling infrastructure, conversion centres, and fleet deployment.
Commercial transport operators, logistics companies, and corporate fleets are no longer viewing CNG as an alternative fuel. They now see it as a strategic business decision that delivers substantial operational savings.
The sustained increase in petrol prices has significantly altered the economics of transportation in Nigeria. Households, businesses and transport operators are increasingly seeking alternatives that offer greater price stability and lower operating costs, making CNG and EVs more attractive options.
Perhaps the clearest indicator of how far the market has come is the shift in consumer behaviour. Nigerians are no longer asking, ‘What is CNG?’ They are asking, ‘Where can I convert my vehicle? Where can I refill? How much will I save?’ That tells us we have moved beyond awareness into the adoption phase.
While CNG is leading the transition by leveraging Nigeria’s abundant gas resources, interest in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure continues to grow. The future is not CNG versus EVs; it is a complementary clean mobility ecosystem.
The priority now is execution: scaling infrastructure, strengthening local manufacturing, ensuring reliable gas supply, and making clean transportation accessible and affordable for every Nigerian.
TER: What key challenges continue to limit the pace of CNG adoption, and how is the Initiative actively addressing these constraints?
Ahmed: The biggest challenge today is not demand. It is ensuring equitable access to CNG infrastructure across the country. While adoption is growing rapidly, refuelling stations, conversion cost, and gas supply infrastructure are still concentrated in a few locations.
To achieve nationwide adoption, we must significantly expand this network so that Nigerians, regardless of where they live or operate, have convenient access to CNG services.
Another challenge is access to affordable financing. Although CNG delivers significant long-term savings, the upfront cost of vehicle conversion can be a barrier for many individuals and fleet operators.
PiCNG & EV is addressing these constraints by accelerating the rollout of refuelling stations and conversion centres across all geopolitical zones, working with private-sector partners to strengthen gas supply and infrastructure, supporting local manufacturing and conversion capacity, and collaborating with financial institutions to develop financing solutions that reduce the cost of entry.
Our focus is simple: remove the barriers to adoption and build a reliable, nationwide ecosystem that makes clean, affordable transportation accessible to every Nigerian.
TER: With over 250 CNG vehicle conversion centres now operational nationwide, what is PiCNG & EV’s strategy in deepening private sector partnerships to make vehicle conversion more accessible and affordable?
Ahmed: Our strategy is to make conversion easier, safer, and more affordable by de-risking the ecosystem for private players. This means working with banks, fintechs, OEMs, conversion centres, transport unions, and fleet operators to create financing models that allow Nigerians to convert without bearing the full cost upfront.
We recently signed an MoU with CrediCorp and Moniepoint so people can convert and “pay small, small.”
We are also strengthening standards and certification so that private-sector expansion does not become unregulated expansion. Access must grow, but it must grow without compromising the safety of the people it is intended to serve.
TER: Refuelling remains a major concern for drivers. How does PiCNG & EV plan to scale up the refuelling infrastructure?
Ahmed: The biggest challenge today is ensuring that infrastructure development keeps pace with growing demand. While interest in CNG continues to rise, refuelling infrastructure remains unevenly distributed across the country. To achieve nationwide adoption, we must expand refuelling access, strengthen regional gas distribution, increase conversion capacity, and improve access to affordable financing.
At PiCNG & EV, we are addressing these constraints by accelerating the development of a nationwide refuelling ecosystem. Working closely with NMDPRA, NNPC, GACN, and other stakeholders across the gas value chain, we are prioritising the deployment of anchor refuelling stations along major transport corridors, highways, and high-demand clusters.
Our approach is to facilitate the deployment of mother stations, daughter stations, CNG facilities, and mobile refuelling solutions, while leveraging strategic partnerships with existing fuel retailers and infrastructure providers to ensure broader, more reliable access to CNG. This coordinated, corridor-based approach is improving gas availability, strengthening supply resilience, and giving consumers the confidence to transition to CNG.
TER: Notably, PiCNG & EV has worked closely with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria to improve uniformity and safety standards for CNG equipment. Beyond standardisation, what additional measures are being implemented to ensure user safety and build public confidence?
Ahmed: Standardisation is only one part of safety. We are also supporting certified conversion centres, technician training, compliance monitoring, public awareness, and stronger coordination with regulators such as SON, NADDC, FRSC, NMDPRA and other agencies.
The Nigeria Gas Vehicle Monitoring System (NGVMS) is also being developed to support digital verification, improve traceability, and ensure that only properly converted vehicles using approved kits can access refuelling at licensed stations when fully deployed.
TER: Northern Nigeria has historically been underserved in terms of CNG refuelling and gas availability. How will the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline, expected to come online in 2026, change the CNG landscape in the region?
Ahmed: I would not characterise Northern Nigeria as largely underserved today. The region has witnessed significant progress in recent years through targeted investments and strong private sector participation.
Today, CNG and gas infrastructure are already present in states such as Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Gombe, Nasarawa and Adamawa, thanks to the efforts of strategic partners including Greenville LNG, NIPCO Gas, Asad Group, Rolling Energy, and several other investors who have continued to expand gas availability across the region.
The Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Pipeline therefore represents not the beginning of gas availability in Northern Nigeria, but a major catalyst for scaling it. By providing a reliable, high-capacity transmission backbone, the pipeline will improve gas accessibility, enhance supply reliability, reduce transportation and logistics costs, and unlock new investments in refuelling infrastructure, industrial gas utilisation, and power generation.
For the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles, the AKK pipeline creates an opportunity to accelerate the deployment of CNG refuelling stations, conversion centres, and gas-based mobility solutions across the northern corridor. It will support greater market penetration, improve investor confidence, and make it easier to extend CNG access into new cities and communities.
Ultimately, AKK is an enabler of scale. It will complement the progress already achieved by existing gas suppliers and infrastructure developers, creating a more resilient, interconnected gas network that supports the long-term growth of CNG adoption across Northern Nigeria.
TER: What fiscal or policy incentives has the government introduced to support CNG adoption that private sector investors may not yet be fully aware of, and how is PiCNG & EV helping stakeholders access these incentives?
Ahmed: The government has introduced several measures to encourage investment and adoption, including support around duty waivers, tax-related incentives, equipment import facilitation, financing partnerships, and policy coordination to reduce bottlenecks. PiCNG & EV plays a facilitation role by helping investors and operators understand available incentives, engage the right agencies, and navigate the ecosystem more effectively.
TER: What are your main priorities in 2026 and beyond?
Ahmed: Our focus is clear: to deepen access to CNG and EV infrastructure across Nigeria, expand refuelling and charging networks, deploy more mass transit buses and tricycles, scale up conversion financing, attract greater private investment and strengthen local assembly and manufacturing.
Above all, our goal remains unchanged: to make transportation significantly more affordable for Nigerians and reduce the burden that high transport costs place on families, businesses and the economy.
TER: What’s your outlook for CNG & EV adoption in Nigeria in the next five years?
Ahmed: My outlook is quite simple: I would like to see CNG become the fuel of choice for mobility in Nigeria. I would like to see Nigerians move cleaner and cheaper, powered increasingly by a resource that we already have in abundance.
For me, the bigger vision is energy independence. I want to see Nigeria reach a point where our transportation costs and living expenses are no longer significantly affected by events happening thousands of miles away—whether it is geopolitical tensions in the Middle East or disruptions in global supply chains. We have abundant natural gas resources, and we should be able to leverage those resources to power our mobility and strengthen our economy.
I would also like to see the sector mature into a thriving industry in its own right—one that attracts investment, creates jobs, develops local expertise, and offers meaningful career opportunities for Nigerians. If we achieve that, we would have unlocked significant infrastructure investments, expanded economic opportunities, and fulfilled the mandate of this Initiative: ensuring that Nigerians can move cleaner, cheaper, and more efficiently.
On the electric vehicle side, my vision is equally clear. I want Nigerians to have choices. The beauty of life is choice.
If someone decides to purchase an electric vehicle, they should be able to find charging infrastructure within a reasonable distance, charge affordably, and have access to technicians who possess the skills and expertise to maintain and service those vehicles anywhere in the country.
Ultimately, that is what I envision for the mobility sector. Nigerians should have the freedom to choose between electric vehicles, CNG-powered vehicles, or even conventional fuel vehicles—not because they have no alternatives, but because multiple options are available to them. Availability is key. Affordability is key. Accessibility is key.
Over the next five years, I expect CNG and EV adoption to move beyond early adoption and become mainstream, particularly among commercial transport operators, fleet owners, logistics companies, government fleets and urban mobility providers.
CNG will continue to play an important role in reducing transportation costs and enhancing energy security, while EVs will gain greater traction as charging infrastructure expands, policies evolve and local capacity develops. The future will not be about one fuel replacing another overnight. Rather, it will be about building a practical, diversified and resilient mobility ecosystem that reflects Nigeria’s realities and gives Nigerians cleaner, cheaper and more sustainable choices.
