Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), has called on African countries to strike a ‘strategic balance’ between natural gas exports and domestic utilisation.
Mr Ekpo, who is also the President of the 2026 Ministerial Meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), disclosed this in a post shared on his official X handle on Friday morning.
“Today, as President of the 2026 Ministerial Meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), I addressed the 3rd GECF Africa Day Workshop in Doha, Qatar, where I emphasised the need for African countries to strike a strategic balance between natural gas exports and domestic utilisation,” Mr Ekpo said.
He said while gas exports are vital for revenue and investor confidence, over-reliance on exports without building domestic capacity risks leaving the continent energy-poor despite strong earnings.
“While gas exports remain critical for revenue generation and attracting investment, Africa must equally prioritise domestic utilisation to drive power generation, industrialisation, fertiliser production, clean cooking initiatives and job creation,” the minister said.
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He said exports provide scale, investor confidence and fiscal returns, but domestic utilisation delivers the real development multiplier needed for long-term transformation across the continent.
“I stressed that exporting gas without simultaneously building domestic capacity could leave African nations with persistent energy shortages, weak industrialisation and limited economic impact despite strong export earnings.
“I also reaffirmed the commitment of the GECF to supporting this balance through technical cooperation, evidence-based analysis and practical collaboration,” he added.
