Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Nigeria has moved to deepen international energy partnerships and accelerate gas commercialisation, with the Federal Government and the Canadian Province of Alberta agreeing to collaborate on carbon capture technology, capacity building and sustainable energy development.
The development emerged at the 2026 Global Energy Show in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, met with Alberta’s Minister for Energy and Minerals, Hon. Brian Jean, on the sidelines of the summit.
The meeting focused on leveraging Canada’s expertise in carbon capture and emissions reduction technologies to support Nigeria’s drive towards cleaner energy development while unlocking the economic potential of its vast gas resources.
Ekpo told his Canadian counterpart that Nigeria’s estimated 215 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves and about 600 trillion cubic feet of unproven deepwater reserves provide a strong foundation for the country’s energy transition agenda and efforts to achieve net-zero emissions targets.
The minister noted that Nigeria was already recording measurable progress in emissions reduction initiatives, citing achievements by TotalEnergies in OML100 as evidence that the country was capable of advancing climate-friendly hydrocarbon development.
He urged Canada to support Nigeria with technology transfer, expertise and institutional collaboration to strengthen ongoing efforts in carbon management and environmental sustainability.
According to Ekpo, Nigeria remains committed to creating opportunities for investment while contributing to global energy security.
He said, “Nigeria possesses vast gas resources, with approximately 215 TCF of proven gas and about 600 TCF of unproven reserves in the deep waters. These resources provide significant incentive for our aggressive push towards advancing policies aimed at achieving net-zero emissions.”
The minister added that Nigeria was seeking to leverage Canada’s experience and technology in carbon capture and emissions reduction, stressing that such collaboration would support sustainable development of the country’s energy resources.
Responding, Alberta’s Energy and Minerals Minister, Brian Jean, acknowledged Canada’s strengths in carbon capture technology and energy innovation, assuring Nigeria of his government’s willingness to support the partnership.
Jean said Canada would assist particularly in the areas of capacity building, knowledge sharing and technical cooperation, with both sides agreeing to establish a joint technical team to drive implementation of the partnership.
Part of the collaboration, he explained, would involve identifying specialised areas where Canadian experts would transfer knowledge and practical experience to Nigerian engineers and energy professionals in the coming months.
Also at the conference, the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, Mallam Rabiu Umar, delivered keynote and goodwill addresses respectively at the Nigeria-Canada Trade, Investment and Gas Commercialisation Forum organised by the Gas Aggregator Company of Nigeria, GACN.
Addressing investors and industry stakeholders, Umar reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to attract international capital and partnerships to support gas development, improve energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
According to him, Nigeria’s gas sector had entered a new phase driven by commercialisation, infrastructure expansion and investor-friendly regulation.
He said the NMDPRA remained committed to promoting Nigeria’s gas assets and creating a regulatory framework capable of guaranteeing attractive returns for investors.
“Through our Decade of Gas Initiative (2021–2030), Nigeria is executing a comprehensive economic pivot to transition into a gas-powered industrial economy, serving as a critical bridge toward our net-zero targets.
“We are here in Canada to market an industry that is fully open for business, highly structured, and commercially ripe for international collaboration,” Umar said.
The NMDPRA boss declared that Nigeria had moved beyond merely celebrating the size of its gas reserves and was now focused on converting those resources into economic value.
“Let me be clear: Nigeria is no longer steering its energy policy using reserve-based pride. We have pivoted decisively toward utilisation-driven performance,” he stated.
The Nigeria-Canada engagements come as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to attract investment into gas infrastructure, industrialization and energy transition projects under the Decade of Gas programme, positioning natural gas as a key driver of economic growth and lower-carbon development.
