Africa Holds the Key to Global Energy Security, Not the Periphery — Tegbe
DUBAI: Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has declared that Africa is no longer on the margins of global energy geopolitics, stressing that the continent is positioned to become a major force in shaping the future of global energy security.
Tegbe made the assertion on Tuesday while delivering a keynote address at the opening plenary of the Middle East Energy 2026 Leadership Summit in Dubai, held under the theme, “Energy Security and the Effect of Geopolitics.”
Speaking before ministers, industry leaders and international dignitaries at the 50th edition of the summit, the Minister said energy security in 2026 could no longer be measured solely by the availability of oil and gas reserves.
According to him, modern energy security depends on the resilience of the entire energy ecosystem, including critical mineral supply chains, electricity grids, financing, infrastructure and strong institutions capable of keeping energy supplies flowing to homes, hospitals and industries during periods of global stress.
Tegbe positioned Nigeria as a critical player in this emerging global energy landscape, citing the country’s more than 200 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves and its two-decade record of supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG) reliably to markets across Europe and Asia.
He also highlighted the Electricity Act 2023 as one of the most significant reforms in Nigeria’s power sector in a generation, noting that the legislation ended the longstanding federal monopoly over electricity generation and distribution and paved the way for the emergence of 37 electricity markets across the federation.
The Minister said the reforms being implemented under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu were aimed not only at transforming the power sector but also at restoring investor confidence through predictable policies and stronger regulatory institutions.
“Capital does not flee risk; it flees uncertainty. Investors will price risk all day long; what they cannot price is a rule that changes after the contract is signed,” Tegbe said.
He explained that Nigeria’s reform agenda was fundamentally a credibility agenda, anchored on regulatory certainty, respect for contracts and the development of bankable power offtake arrangements capable of attracting long-term investment.
Tegbe presented four key propositions to participants at the summit.
He argued that diversification, rather than diplomatic disengagement, remains the strongest form of strategic insurance; that electricity grids must now receive the same strategic attention historically given to fuel supplies; that affordability should be treated as a security issue; and that the global energy transition must be orderly, equitable and tailored to the realities of individual countries.
The Minister further stressed that Africa’s enormous energy deficit presents both a challenge and a major opportunity for the global economy.
With about 600 million Africans still without access to electricity, he said the continent’s vast mineral resources, abundant solar potential, youthful population and rapidly expanding energy demand would increasingly influence energy security and investment decisions in major global centres, including London, Tokyo, Washington and Dubai.
He therefore called for a new generation of international partnerships that would move beyond the extraction of Africa’s raw resources.
According to him, such partnerships should promote local processing, manufacturing, technology and skills transfer, as well as patient and long-term capital, enabling African countries to derive greater value from their natural resources.
“Nigeria has chosen to build. Africa has chosen to build. And we invite you, in the spirit of this remarkable city and this landmark fiftieth summit, to build with us,” Tegbe told delegates in his closing remarks.
The Minister’s engagements in Dubai will continue throughout the week, including participation in a ministerial fireside discussion on financing Africa’s power future under the summit’s Africa Spotlight programme.