NMDPRA Seeks Investment to Bridge Infrastructure Gaps
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) says its forthcoming West Africa Refined Fuel Market Conference will identify critical infrastructure gaps.
It said that the conference would also attract strategic investments and establish a credible African petroleum price benchmark.
The Authority Chief Executive of NMDPRA, Malam Rabiu Umar, said this at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.
Umar said the initiative was aimed at strengthening Africa’s refining and downstream petroleum value chain while supporting the emergence of a transparent and competitive regional pricing and trading hub.
The conference, being organised in collaboration with S&P Global Commodity Insights and the West Africa Regulators Forum (WARF), is scheduled to hold from Aug. 11 to Aug. 12 in Abuja.
It has its theme as, “Funding West Africa Infrastructure and Distribution to Create a Transparent Market for Regional Price Benchmarks”.
Umar, who is also WARF Chairman, said it would bring together regulators, investors, financial institutions and industry leaders to develop practical solutions for financing critical infrastructure and logistics.
“Regulators provide the framework that enables fair competition, market transparency, investor confidence, consumer protection, and regional cooperation. “They also work to harmonise standards and facilitate cross-border trade.
“Efficient markets require efficient infrastructure, Investments in pipelines, storage terminals, ports, rail systems, road networks, refineries, and digital trading platforms, reduced supply costs, improved energy security and enhanced regional integration.
“Improved infrastructure and market efficiency can reduce supply disruptions, lower logistics costs, encourage competition, and support more reliable access to petroleum products across the region,” he said. Umar said that energy markets extended beyond national borders.
According to him, Working together enables countries to optimise infrastructure, improve market efficiency, reduce duplication, and strengthen regional energy security,” he said.
He said discussions would also explore the establishment of a credible African reference price benchmark that could reflect regional market realities and promote transparent pricing mechanisms.
Umar said that the inaugural conference, held in 2025, was conceived to address the challenge of Africa producing significant volumes of oil and gas while prices for its commodities are largely determined outside the continent.
He said the vision was to establish West Africa as a credible regional marketplace where petroleum products are traded efficiently through improved infrastructure, harmonised regulations and reliable market data.
The NMDPRA boss said key achievements from the maiden edition included the establishment of the WARF, publication of West African reference prices and the opening of the S&P Global Commodity Insights Regional Office in Abuja.
He identified investment opportunities in gas processing, transportation, liquefaction, compression, petroleum storage facilities, pipeline development, Liquefied Natural Gas infrastructure, logistics corridors, digital commodity exchanges, trading platforms and strategic petroleum reserves.
Umar described West Africa as one of the world’s fastest-growing energy markets, with expanding refining capacity, rising demand and strategic opportunities across the petroleum value chain.
He urged the media to advance discussions on energy security, infrastructure development and regional market integration. #NMDPRA Seeks Investment to Bridge Infrastructure Gaps# Fuel Price Changes Driven by Market Forces – NMDPRA
