By Emmanuel Nduka
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri has stated that Africa does not need loans from world lenders to address its energy poverty and drive economic growth on the continent.
Rather, the minister said strategic partnerships and investments should be pursued by African leaders.
Lokpobiri who made this statement on Tuesday in Abuja, at the 8th edition of the Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES 2025), said that strategic policies by President Bola Tinubu’s administration had proven Nigeria’s readiness and commitment for business.
“In January at Davos, I was in a panel with eight other ministers of different parts of the world and one of the ministers said that Europe has about 300 billion euros available for loans to Africa.
“I suggested to them that we don’t need loans rather we need investments, we need partnerships. Invest and then make your returns instead of giving us loans.
“I can assure you that the world is ready to invest in Africa, the world has recognised that Africa has enormous resources, but these resources have no value unless we are able to bring them to the market,” Lokpobiri said.
Speaking at the event themed: “Bridging Continents: Connecting Investors Worldwide with Africa’s Energy Potential,” the minister said that the current administration had changed the entire energy landscape in Nigeria, making the country an investment destination for new investors and those who had earlier mulled plans of divestment.
He said Nigeria has shown readiness for business and that is why four major divestments that were pending before have been completed, had developed or grown enormous local capacity, enabling indigenous companies to be acquiring assets with capacity to run these companies in a profitable manner.
“Nigeria has nothing to lose. No International Oil Company (IOC) is leaving Nigeria, all the IOCs cannot find a better location than Nigeria for business. They told me that Nigeria is still the best destination and they are firm in their commitment to say they are not leaving Nigeria.
“At the worst, they are leaving for deep offshore which is beyond the capacity of Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG) members,” he said.
The minister disclosed that Nigeria would secure some investments in the next few months, adding that 20 billion dollars investments were on the way soon.
He called on Africans to unite in order to collectively provide solutions to the energy poverty problems bedevilling the continent. “We have to collectively work together to ensure that we bridge the gap that exists in technology, in finance, among others,” the minister added.
In a similar vein, Dr. Omar Ibrahim, Secretary-General, African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO) decried over dependence on foreign loans in Africa.
Ibrahim said it was the quest by Africa to find solutions within and stop over dependence on foreign finance that informed APPO’s decision to partner with Afrexim Bank to establish the African Energy Bank (AEB), being headquartered in Nigeria.
“We are not against foreign finance, foreign technology and foreign markets, but to do our utmost best to address challenges by looking within first then go out only when internal possibilities are exhausted.
“The only way we can do this is to collaborate and pull resources together and then we will have all it takes to surmount our challenges. Today Nigeria, through the NNPC Ltd. is the highest contributor to the African Energy Bank fund,’’ he said.
The APPO Secretary General decried the fact that 600 million Africans still lacked access to electricity, in spite of Africa exporting 75 per cent of the oil it produced and 45 per cent of its gas.
If Africa must change for better, he said its teeming youth population must critically question the thoughts of its leaders, including academia, media, politicians, military and industries.
