The Executive Director of Sahara Group, Wale Ajibade, has described Africa as the new frontier for an energy renaissance poised to redefine global energy balance.
Speaking to journalists at the opening ceremony of the Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES 2026) in Abuja on Tuesday, Mr Ajibade emphasised that the continent’s potential can only be fully unlocked through bold investments, strategic collaboration, and regulatory harmony.
According to him, Sahara Group’s successes as a leading African energy and infrastructure conglomerate have been anchored on driving competitiveness, innovation and sustainability on the continent.
He urged African operators to deepen collaboration, innovate across their value chains, and make long-term investments to expand capacity sustainably.
“Africa must seize this moment. Our continent holds immense resources, a growing market, and an increasingly skilled population. Operators need to deepen collaboration, innovate across their value chains, and make the long-term investments required to expand capacity sustainably,” he said.
At the same time, he said, regulators across Africa “must accelerate policy harmonisation to create a predictable, integrated, and investor-friendly environment.”
He further emphasised that Africa’s energy transition must be responsible, inclusive, and anchored on its developmental context, maximising the use of its resources, especially transition fuels, to drive economic growth, industrial expansion, and improved living standards.
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“Our transition journey must reflect Africa’s realities. We must use our resources responsibly to drive growth while investing in technologies, talent, and systems that will ensure we transition sustainably. The world is watching Africa, and we must rise to the occasion,” he added.
Mr Ajibade commended the Federal Government of Nigeria’s transformation programs within the energy sector, describing them as necessary catalysts for long-term sectoral reform.
He also applauded the leadership of Nigerian energy regulators, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), for their efforts in repositioning Nigeria’s energy landscape.
He said Sahara Group remains committed to investing in new technologies, developing human capital, and forging strategic partnerships to strengthen Africa’s energy security and competitiveness.
He noted that the group will continue to champion initiatives that support sustainable development, energy transition, and inclusive growth across the continent.
