The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has announced that its 2026 oil and gas licensing round bid portal will open on November 20, offering investors access to 40 oil and gas blocks across Nigeria.
The Commission’s Chief Executive, Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed this on Monday, November 2, 2026, while encouraging international investors to take advantage of Nigeria’s investment opportunities amid growing competition in the global energy market.
Eyesan made the announcement during a roundtable discussion titled “Energy Sovereignty in an Interconnected World: Aligning National Priorities, Markets and Global Security” at the 2026 ADIPEC Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi.
According to a statement by the NUPRC Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, the commission is offering an attractive fiscal framework and improved operating conditions to encourage participation in the latest licensing round.
Eyesan said Nigeria was positioning itself as a competitive destination for energy investments, adding that the government had introduced incentives and measures to improve security and reduce operational costs for investors.
She expressed confidence that the new framework would attract significant interest when the bidding portal opens.
The NUPRC chief also attributed improvements in Nigeria’s petroleum investment environment to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), enacted in 2021, and subsequent executive orders introduced by President Bola Tinubu.
She noted that the commission had conducted at least four licensing rounds between 2021 and 2026, creating more opportunities for investment compared with the period before the PIA, when licensing exercises were less frequent.
Eyesan further highlighted Nigeria’s gas potential, noting that the country holds an estimated 215 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of natural gas reserves but produces approximately seven billion cubic feet (BCF) daily.
She described the gap between available reserves and current production as a major investment opportunity, particularly with several infrastructure projects expected to expand gas supply and distribution.
According to her, recently completed infrastructure projects are expected to improve domestic gas availability and support supply to neighbouring countries.
She also identified the proposed Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline and the Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline as major projects that could expand Nigeria’s access to regional and international energy markets, including Europe.
Eyesan said these projects would strengthen Nigeria’s position as a major gas supplier while supporting growing energy demand within Africa and beyond.
She acknowledged that competition for oil and gas investments had intensified as more countries seek to develop their petroleum resources.
However, she maintained that Nigeria was taking steps to reduce investment risks associated with project execution, operational costs, delays and regulatory uncertainty.
The commission chief said these measures were designed to give investors greater confidence and attract the capital needed to develop Nigeria’s substantial oil and gas resources.
The 2026 licensing round is expected to provide fresh opportunities for investors seeking to participate in Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector, particularly as the country seeks to increase production, unlock its gas reserves and strengthen its position in the global energy market.
