Farouk Ahmed, NMDPRA CEO
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) says the midstream and downstream gas infrastructure fund (MDGIF) has facilitated investments worth over N287 billion in various gas infrastructure projects.
The MDGIF is a strategic initiative established under Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to stimulate investment in gas infrastructure to promote domestic use and export-driven growth.
Speaking on Thursday in Abuja at the maiden conference of the Energy Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN), Farouk Ahmed, NMDPRA’s chief executive officer (CEO), said the investments covered 62 projects undertaken by 16 companies as of October 2025.
Ahmed, represented by Joseph Tolorunse, the authority’s legal adviser and secretary, said the MDGIF had catalysed an additional $500 million investments to gas infrastructure by leveraging the African Export-Import Bank’s (Afreximbank) partnership aimed at expanding energy access to drive economic development.
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He said the NMDPRA had recorded major achievements in its four years of existence, following the enactment of the PIA.
Ahmed said the period had seen major strides in regulatory reform, operational efficiency, and transparency in the midstream and downstream oil and gas sector.
He said the NMDPRA had successfully gazetted 18 regulations, automated key processes to promote ease of doing business, and facilitated a crude supply increase to domestic refineries from 20,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2023 to over 40,000 bpd in 2025.
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Ahmed said refined products supplies from local refineries had also improved significantly, with petrol output rising from 1.3 billion litres in 2024 to 3.8 billion litres in 2025.
He listed key projects supported under the PIA framework to include UTM Offshore floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG), Nigeria LNG Train 7, Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK), Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) pipelines gas pipelines, Indorama fertilizer plant, Waltersmith refinery expansion, and Supertech’s methanol project.
‘NMDPRA HAS GRANTED 23 REFINERY LICENCES’
He said the authority also issued 10 gas distribution licences covering 692km of pipelines with a combined capacity of 712 million standard cubic feet per day (scfd), granting 23 refinery establishment licences expected to add over 850,000 bpd to Nigeria’s refining capacity.
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Ahmed said the authority had also developed gas trading and settlement regulations, leading to the licensing of Nigeria’s first gas trading exchange in May.
On market stability, he said the NMDPRA’s efficient regulation had ensured steady product supply nationwide, maintaining sufficiency levels of 12 to 48 days and eliminating fuel shortages.
While acknowledging challenges such as regulatory overlaps, he said the authority continues to leverage the PIA to ensure a level playing field and attract private investment.
He expressed optimism that the coming onstream of the Dangote refinery, modular refineries, and the completion of major gas infrastructure, would further expand domestic refining capacity and energy access.
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