Africa at Centre of Global Energy Geopolitics, Not the Periphery — Tegbe

 Africa at Centre of Global Energy Geopolitics, Not the Periphery — Tegbe

Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has declared that Africa is central to the evolving global energy landscape, arguing that the continent’s vast mineral resources, energy potential, youthful population and rising electricity demand will increasingly shape global energy security.

Tegbe made the assertion on Tuesday while delivering a keynote address at the opening plenary of the Middle East Energy 2026 Leadership Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Speaking on the theme, “Energy Security and the Effect of Geopolitics,” at the 50th edition of the summit, the minister said the concept of energy security had evolved beyond the possession of oil and gas reserves.

According to him, energy security in 2026 must be viewed as the resilience of an entire energy ecosystem, encompassing critical mineral supply chains, electricity grids, financing and institutions capable of keeping power flowing to homes, hospitals and industries during periods of geopolitical and economic stress.

Tegbe positioned Nigeria as a key player in the global energy security conversation, highlighting 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 identified the Electricity Act 2023 as the most significant reform of Nigeria’s electricity sector in a generation, saying it dismantled the longstanding federal monopoly and opened the way for 37 emerging electricity markets across the country.

The minister said the reforms being pursued under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration were fundamentally about restoring investor confidence through regulatory certainty, contract sanctity and bankable offtake arrangements.

“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 outlined four key propositions for policymakers and energy industry stakeholders at the summit.

Tegbe argued that diversification, rather than diplomatic disengagement, remains the most effective form of strategic insurance; that electricity grids must now receive the same strategic attention historically given to fuel supplies; that affordability is itself an energy security concern; and that the global energy transition must be orderly, just and responsive to the unique circumstances of individual countries.

The minister further stressed the strategic importance of Africa to the global energy transition, noting that about 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity.

He said the continent’s mineral resources, abundant solar potential, youthful workforce and rapidly growing energy demand would have implications far beyond Africa.

According to Tegbe, these factors will increasingly influence energy security and economic decisions in major global centres including London, Tokyo, Washington and Dubai.

He therefore called for a new model of international energy partnerships that moves beyond the extraction and export of raw resources.

Such partnerships, he said, should incorporate local processing, manufacturing, technology and skills transfer, as well as long-term and patient capital to enable African countries to derive greater economic value from their natural resources.

“Africa is not at the margins of energy geopolitics; it is the fulcrum,” Tegbe said, stressing the need for the continent to be treated as a strategic partner in shaping the future of global energy.

In his closing remarks, the minister invited international investors and energy stakeholders to participate in Africa’s development journey.

“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,” he said.

Tegbe’s engagements in Dubai will continue throughout the week, including a ministerial fireside session focused on financing Africa’s power future under the summit’s Africa Spotlight programme.