Executive Director meets with Nigeria’s leaders in Abuja as country begins new chapter with IEA

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol met with Vice President Kashim Shettima of Nigeria, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) Ekperikpe Ekpo and other leaders from across the country’s government and energy sector in Abuja this week, marking Nigeria’s entry into the IEA Family as an Association country and the start of a new phase of cooperation.

The official visit follows the unanimous decision by the IEA’s Governing Board in June to welcome Nigeria as an Association country, a major development for the Agency’s engagement with Africa and for international energy cooperation. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and one of its largest economies, as well as a major oil and natural gas producer and an increasingly important player in regional and global energy markets.

In the meeting with Vice President Shettima at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja, which was attended by several ministers and senior figures from across the government, Dr Birol discussed Nigeria’s energy and economic priorities and the opportunities created by the country’s closer engagement with the IEA.

“Nigeria’s admission as an association country with the IEA is a significant milestone for our country and it reflects Nigeria’s strategic importance in the global energy landscape and the confidence that IEA has placed in our commitment to constructive international energy cooperation,” Vice President Shettima said. “The country will benefit from IEA’s institutional knowledge, the intellectual resources, the reach and expertise to support our nation’s ambitions in this sector.”

“Nigeria joining the IEA Family is a landmark moment – for Nigeria, for Africa and for the IEA,” Dr Birol said. “Nigeria is one of the world’s most important emerging economies and a major energy producer, with a young and rapidly growing population. Its voice and experience belong at the heart of the global energy conversation. It was a pleasure to meet with the Vice President and Nigeria’s energy leaders in Abuja as we begin this new chapter together. Our partnership, with special thanks to Minister Ekpo as the host and driving force behind this, will help the IEA engage more deeply with energy systems in Africa, while leveraging our expertise and international network in support of Nigeria’s priorities – from strengthening energy security and further realising its huge energy potential to expanding access to electricity and clean cooking solutions.”

“I am delighted to host the IEA Executive Director in Abuja to celebrate this important milestone of Nigeria having become an Association country of the IEA,” Minister Ekpo said. “The signature of our first Joint Work Programme at the Presidential Villa signals the highest level of commitment of Nigeria to deliver on this partnership, benefiting from the IEA s tremendous wealth of knowledge and expertise. Nigeria is honoured to be at the table of global energy discussions.”

Earlier in the day, Minister Ekpo hosted a welcome reception for the Executive Director that was attended by chief executives from across Nigeria’s energy sector, including institutions responsible for regulating the petroleum sector and for energy planning.

Nigeria’s Association with the IEA is an important step in the continued evolution of the IEA’s global role and standing. As recently as 2015, its membership represented around 40% of global energy demand. As the centre of gravity of the global energy economy has shifted, the IEA has significantly expanded its engagement with major emerging and developing economies. With Nigeria joining, the IEA Family now represents more than 80% of global energy demand.

Nigeria brings a particularly important perspective to this growing international community. Home to more than 240 million people, the country is a major producer and exporter of oil and gas, playing an increasingly significant role in international fuel markets, and it also has a dynamic off-grid renewables sector. At the same time, Nigeria faces many of the key energy challenges confronting emerging economies, including meeting rapidly growing demand, mobilising investment and expanding access to reliable and affordable electricity and clean cooking solutions.

Closer cooperation will strengthen the IEA’s work on energy issues across Africa. Nigeria joins South Africa, Kenya and Senegal among the IEA’s Association countries in sub-Saharan Africa, expanding the representation of African perspectives in the Agency’s activities.

The first IEA-Nigeria Joint Work Programme, signed by Dr Birol and Minister Ekpo in the presence of the Vice President, sets out a roadmap for cooperation over the coming years. Developed through consultation with Nigerian ministries, regulators and other energy institutions, the programme covers areas including energy security, energy investment, energy data and statistics, energy efficiency and clean cooking. It will also deepen exchanges between Nigerian institutions and IEA experts through analysis, data cooperation, policy advice and training.

The programme builds on a relationship between Nigeria and the IEA that dates back more than a decade. Cooperation has intensified in recent years, including through work on energy data and capacity building and a major regional roundtable on methane emissions co-hosted with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources in Abuja in 2025. In February 2026, Nigeria and the IEA signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the IEA Ministerial Meeting in Paris to deepen cooperation on policy dialogue, data exchange, capacity building and international engagement.