Uche Cecil Izuora
Egypt’s Natural Gas Vehicles Company (Cargas) has launched ambitious plans to explore expansion opportunities into the Nigerian market and participate in national initiatives aimed at expanding compressed natural gas (CNG) utilization and “Transferring the company’s expertise and pioneering experience in this field, ”
Egypts Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (MoPMR), announced the plan after a team from Cargas visited Nigeria.
The visit comes in line with the directives of Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, to strengthen regional and international cooperation and to open new horizons for Egyptian petroleum sector companies in the African markets.
During the visit, Ekperikpe Ekpo, Nigerian Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), received Mohamed Fouad, Egypt’s Ambassador to Nigeria, alongside the Cargas delegation to formulate mechanisms for enhancing bilateral cooperation in natural gas applications, focusing heavily on CNG deployment in the transportation sector..
Ekpo noted that achieving the ambitious milestones of Nigeria’s presidential initiative to expand CNG utilization requires building robust partnerships and exchanging technical and operational know-how. Furthermore, the minister praised Egypt’s sustained success in converting vehicles to run on natural gas and valued the readiness of the Egyptian government and Cargas to support the Nigerian market through essential technology transfers, according to the statement.
In line with these strategic objectives, the Cargas delegation held a series of intensive meetings with multiple regulatory bodies and institutions supervising Nigeria’s energy and transportation sectors.
These include the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The sessions produced initial plans for retail station infrastructure, CNG conversion centers, local component manufacturing, and training programs to support natural gas integration across transport networks
Founded in 1995 as Egypt’s first dedicated CNG automotive company, Cargas held a 41 per cent share of the market in 2025, supported by a nationwide network of 56 conversion and maintenance centers