By Adewale Sanyaolu
Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar are currently in talks to create a shared shipping network, a move aimed at expanding Africa–Asia Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) connectivity.
This was part of the highlight of separate bilateral meetings at the weekend between the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Gas), Mr. Ekperikpe Ekpo, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Energy, Hydrocarbons, Infrastructure and Power, Suhail Al Mazrouei, and the Minister of State for Energy Affairs and President/Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Energy, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi.
Other areas of discussions among the countries centred on efforts aimed at strengthening energy ties for gas development and growth.
The Dubai meeting acknowledged the long-standing partnership between Nigeria and the UAE through OPEC and the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), with aligned priorities on market stability, investment certainty, and just energy transitions.
Both ministers explored opportunities for joint cooperation in liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading and cargo swaps, as well as midstream development, including pipelines, LPG/CNG infrastructure, and processing hubs.
The discussions also emphasised the importance of decarbonisation partnerships, with a focus on carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), blue hydrogen production, and methane management. These initiatives aim to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable energy practices.
Ekpo invited Suhail Al Mazrouei to visit Nigeria at a convenient time to further strengthen bilateral energy cooperation and explore new opportunities for partnership.
In Qatar, the focus was on gas cooperation between both countries. Discussions during the meeting, which was held at Qatar Energy headquarters in Doha, centred around opportunities for deeper cooperation in LNG cargo swaps to reduce shipping times and optimise costs, shared shipping routes to expand Africa–Asia LNG connectivity, joint investments in floating LNG (FLNG), small-scale LNG, and gas monetisation projects, and Nigeria’s Decade of Gas initiative, which represents a national commitment to harness the country’s abundant natural gas resources as a catalyst for industrialisation, economic diversification, and clean energy access between 2021 and 2030.
President Bola Tinubu, along with Ekpo, had visited Qatar in March 2024, resulting in monumental agreements that have further strengthened Qatar–Nigeria relations.
The latest meeting is a follow-up visit to the March 2024 engagement.
Tinubu had told international investors, especially those from Qatar, to report to him any government officials that demand bribes from them.
He also assured the international business community that Nigeria was ready for serious business as his administration would deal decisively with any and all entrenched interests in the country that undermined investors’ confidence in the country’s economy. He reiterated his preparedness to remove all bottlenecks standing in the way of a profitable and legitimate enterprise.
Speaking at the Nigeria–Qatar Business and Investment Forum in Doha, Tinubu told Qatari investors that Africa’s largest economy and its systems were being reformed and upgraded, and asked Qatar’s captains of industry to report any government official who demands a bribe or any form of inducement at any point in their business endeavour, moving forward, with full assurance of their direct access to the President’s Office.
He said: “I am here to assure you that reforms are going on; forget about whatever you heard in the past. Whatever the obstacle or problem that some of you might have experienced, it is in the past because there is no obstacle in the future.
“Do not offer a bribe to any of our people, and if it is requested or taken from you, report to us. You will have access to me. Nigeria will no longer be defined by the past, but by what we do now and moving forward. Do not let perceptions become a hindrance to your will to invest.
“Nigeria is serious about revolutionising investment promotion. We are removing obstacles today and we are going to continue to remove all obstacles. We have done so much within nine months. And I assure you, it is free entry and free exit. Your funds will flow smoothly into and out of our country. Bring your investments.”
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