Uche Cecil Izuora
The Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG) has advocated for a new operating model among gas producers in Nigeria in which Government and gas producers team up with infrastructure companies to ensure gas is sustainably supplied to customers.
According to the gas company, making collaboration a practical operating model will help achieve Nigeria’s ambition to become Africa’s global gas powerhouse.
Speaking at the Gas Investment Forum 2026, held under the theme “Positioning Nigeria as Africa’s Global Gas Powerhouse,” Ralph Gbobo, Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Gas, emphasized that Nigeria’s gas resources must be translated into productive investment, infrastructure, industrial growth, and lasting prosperity.
Represented by Chidiebere Okocha, the Head of Corporate Relations, Gbobo, urged government, regulators, producers, infrastructure companies, investors, technology partners, and customers to work together around projects that are commercially viable, technically sound, and nationally important.
Highlighting SNG’s role, Gbobo noted that the company currently supports industries across Ogun, Lagos, Rivers, and Abia States and surrounding areas, while pursuing opportunities to expand access to new markets. “Our objective is not merely to extend pipelines. It is to bring reliable gas closer to businesses, support industrial productivity, and help create the conditions in which customers can invest and grow with confidence,” he said.
He reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Nigeria’s ambition to become Africa’s global gas powerhouse, urging industry stakeholders to move beyond potential and focus on execution, investment, and practical collaboration.
“Nigeria is richly endowed with gas. But resources in the ground do not, by themselves, create economic value,” Gbobo said. “Value is created when gas reaches a factory, powers a productive enterprise, supports manufacturing, enables new investment, and improves the competitiveness of Nigerian businesses. That is the real measure of a gas powerhouse.”
Outlining strategic priorities needed to accelerate Nigeria’s gas sector development, stressed that gas infrastructure requires significant capital and long-term commitment, and that investors must be able to rely on clear regulations, commercially viable frameworks, transparent processes, and predictable timelines.
Gbobo emphasized that pipelines, distribution networks, and processing facilities must be connected to real and sustainable markets, including industrial clusters, manufacturing centres, and power projects. “Supply without bankable demand will not deliver sustainable investment,” he noted.
“Nigeria does not need more declarations of potential. It needs more projects delivered safely, efficiently, and sustainably,” Gbobo stated, calling for urgency, discipline, credible project development, and effective regulatory coordination.
Gbobo concluded by calling on stakeholders to identify strategic projects that can be accelerated, address barriers constraining investment, build commercial frameworks that work, and connect more industries to gas.
“The opportunity is before us. The resources are available. The market is significant. The capability exists. What is required now is the collective will to execute,” he said. “If we forge ahead and lead together, Nigeria will not merely aspire to become Africa’s global gas powerhouse, she will build the infrastructure, markets, and investor confidence required to become one. Shell Nigeria Gas is proud to be part of that journey.”
Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG) is a leading gas distribution company committed to delivering reliable, sustainable gas solutions to industrial and commercial customers across Nigeria. SNG supports Nigeria’s Decade of Gas initiative through infrastructure investment, market expansion, and partnership-driven execution