Susan Abayomi
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has said Africa is no longer on the margins of global energy geopolitics, but is increasingly becoming central to discussions on energy security and the global energy transition.
Tegbe made the remarks on Tuesday while delivering a keynote address at the opening plenary of the Middle East Energy 2026 Leadership Summit in Dubai.
Speaking on the theme, “Energy Security and the Effect of Geopolitics,” at the 50th edition of the summit, the Minister told an audience of ministers, industry leaders and international dignitaries that energy security in 2026 could no longer be measured solely by a country’s hydrocarbon reserves.
He said energy security should instead be viewed as the resilience of an entire system, encompassing critical mineral supply chains, electricity grids, infrastructure, investment and the institutions required to ensure the continuous supply of energy to homes, hospitals and industries, particularly during periods of crisis.
Tegbe positioned Nigeria as an important player in the global energy security conversation, citing the country’s more than 200 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves and its two-decade record of reliable liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies to markets in Europe and Asia.
He also highlighted the Electricity Act of 2023 as one of the most significant reforms in Nigeria’s power sector in a generation. According to him, the legislation ended the longstanding federal monopoly in the electricity sector and paved the way for the emergence of 37 electricity markets across the federation under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“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 aimed at building investor confidence through regulatory certainty, respect for contractual obligations and bankable power offtake arrangements.
The Minister outlined four key propositions for participants at the summit.
He said diversification, rather than diplomatic disengagement, represents the most effective form of strategic insurance; electricity grids should receive the same strategic attention historically given to fuel supplies; affordability must be recognised as a security issue; and the global energy transition should be orderly, equitable and responsive to the unique circumstances of individual countries.
Tegbe further argued that Africa, where about 600 million people still lack access to electricity, occupies a central position in global energy geopolitics.
He pointed to the continent’s vast mineral resources, abundant solar potential, youthful population and rapidly growing energy demand as factors that would increasingly influence energy security discussions in major global centres, including London, Tokyo, Washington and Dubai.
The Minister called for stronger partnerships that would move beyond the extraction of Africa’s raw resources to promote local processing, manufacturing, skills development and the provision of long-term capital.
“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.
Tegbe’s engagements in Dubai are expected to continue throughout the week, including participation in a ministerial fireside discussion on financing Africa’s power future under the summit’s Africa Spotlight programme.
