Nigeria, alongside seven other African countries, has signed a charter establishing the African Petroleum Regulators Forum (AFRIPERF) to strengthen petroleum governance across the continent.
The landmark charter was signed on Thursday in Accra, Ghana, by Nigeria, Ghana, Somalia, Gambia, Madagascar, Sudan, Guinea, and Togo on the sidelines of the 31st Africa Oil Week (AOW). The ceremony was chaired by the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engr. Gbenga Komolafe.
According to a statement by NUPRC’s Head of Media and Strategic Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, regulators from 16 African countries attended the event. While eight countries formally endorsed the charter, seven others, including Kenya, Mauritania, Benin, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, and Morocco, expressed support with a pledge to join after further consultations.
This development marks the climax of a proposal introduced last year by Komolafe, who championed the creation of AFRIPERF to harmonise petroleum regulation across Africa. The Forum held its inaugural meeting in July 2024, followed by a second gathering in November 2024, before achieving Thursday’s breakthrough.
Komolafe, who doubles as interim chairman of AFRIPERF, described the charter signing as a decisive step towards building a harmonised and sustainable petroleum industry in Africa. He stressed that as the world transitions toward cleaner and more sustainable energy systems, Africa must ensure its vast hydrocarbon resources are managed with innovation, responsibility, and foresight.
He explained that AFRIPERF’s operational pillars, namely the Executive Committee, the Technical Committee and the Secretariat, will drive its objectives with accountability and measurable results. While the Executive Committee will provide oversight and strategic direction, the Technical Committee will focus on thematic or sectoral issues, drawing on experts from member states. The Secretariat will include representatives from member countries and will be ratified by the Executive Committee.
Komolafe emphasized that AFRIPERF will serve as a unifying platform for regulators to harmonise policies, address shared challenges and amplify Africa’s voice on the global stage. He also recommended aligning AFRIPERF’s Annual General Meeting with AOW to boost participation and visibility.
The AFRIPERF Charter sets out a bold mission to enhance cooperation and collaboration among African petroleum regulators, ensuring a safe, efficient, equitable and sustainable petroleum industry. Its vision is to become the premier platform for African regulators to share knowledge, best practices and expertise in order to attain regional excellence in petroleum regulation.
Key provisions of the charter include the promotion of harmonisation of petroleum regulations and standards across Africa, strengthening of regulatory capacity through training, capacity building and knowledge sharing, and facilitation of dialogue with industry stakeholders and international organisations. The Forum also seeks to safeguard environmental standards, ethical practices and transparency in petroleum activities while promoting investment opportunities in the oil and gas sector, including digitalisation, renewable energy integration and emission reduction.
Following the signing, AFRIPERF will call for nominations for its first Chairperson, designate representatives from each member regulator and determine the Forum’s headquarters, in line with its charter provisions.
