By Adaobi Rhema Oguejiofor
Energy ministers at the 7th Nigerian International Energy Summit (NIES) have stressed the need for innovative strategies to bring about sustainable growth in the Nigerian and African energy sectors.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, at the event, said that he aims to allocate idle oil wells to capable entities in order to boost production without politicizing the process.
His counterpart, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, stated that he anticipates a significant increase in gas flow with twenty pending projects nearing Final Investment Decision (FID), potentially adding 4.6 trillion cubic feet per day to production.
He assured of collaboration with the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Energy Olu Verheijen, towards revising Production Sharing Contract terms to encourage non-associated gas exploration.
On his part, the Namibian Minister of Mines and Energy, Tom Alweendo, also acknowledged the need for collaborative strategies, stressing the importance of intra-African cooperation for sustainable growth, particularly in local content development.