Nigeria is seeing growing interest from buyers for its liquefied natural gas cargoes as disruptions linked to the conflict in the Middle East create new openings for alternative suppliers, a senior executive at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) has said.
The comments underline how the war in the region is beginning to reshape global energy trade, with importers seeking more secure and diversified sources of supply amid heightened geopolitical risk and concerns over shipping routes and price volatility.
Speaking at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, NNPC Executive Vice President Olalekan Ogunleye said Nigeria was increasingly well-positioned to benefit from the shift, thanks to its large gas reserves and strategic location between major consuming markets.
“We are right in the middle of the market,” Ogunleye said, describing Nigeria as a supplier with a natural geographic advantage for both Europe and other Atlantic Basin buyers.
Nigeria, Africa’s largest gas reserve holder, has long been viewed as a major potential player in the global LNG market, but development has often been slowed by underinvestment, infrastructure constraints and policy uncertainty.
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Now, with buyers looking to reduce exposure to geopolitical shocks in traditional supply regions, Nigerian officials see a fresh opportunity to expand exports and deepen the country’s role in global gas markets.
Nigeria LNG (NLNG), in which NNPC is the largest shareholder, currently has export capacity of up to 22 million metric tons per year and is constructing a seventh production train expected to be completed in 2027.
The additional train is expected to boost Nigeria’s export capacity at a time when demand for LNG remains firm, particularly in Europe and Asia, where energy security has become a top policy and commercial priority.
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Ogunleye said interest from buyers had strengthened in recent months as the Middle East conflict intensified, adding that demand for natural gas had remained resilient despite broader market uncertainty.
His remarks suggest that Nigeria is seeking to position itself not only as a short-term alternative source of supply, but also as a longer-term strategic energy partner for countries seeking to diversify away from politically volatile regions.
NNPC is also looking beyond the current expansion of NLNG. Ogunleye said the company had begun discussions on adding two more LNG trains, a sign of ambition to significantly scale up Nigeria’s export footprint over the coming years.
In addition, the company is pursuing a separate 12 million metric tons per annum LNG project, alongside plans for gas-based industrial hubs aimed at unlocking more of Nigeria’s vast natural gas potential.
The country is estimated to hold more than 200 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, giving it one of the largest proven gas endowments on the continent.
For years, policymakers and investors have argued that those reserves could support not only export growth, but also domestic industrialisation, power generation and petrochemical development if backed by the right infrastructure and regulatory support.
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Analysts say the current global energy realignment may offer Nigeria a rare window to attract capital and secure long-term offtake agreements, particularly as buyers seek new supply sources that are geographically diversified and commercially flexible.
Energy consultant Martin Houston, a veteran LNG developer, said the Middle East conflict had reinforced the urgency for importers to spread supply risk across more regions.
He noted that African and South American countries with discovered gas resources but limited export infrastructure could become more attractive to global buyers, especially if floating LNG and other flexible project models gain momentum.
For Nigeria, that growing appetite could strengthen the commercial case for both existing and planned gas projects — provided longstanding obstacles such as pipeline vandalism, financing challenges and project delays can be managed.
The renewed interest also comes as African producers increasingly seek to frame natural gas as both a transition fuel and a development tool, arguing that the continent should be allowed to monetise its resources even as the world pushes toward cleaner energy systems.
If sustained, the current demand shift could help Nigeria secure a bigger share of global LNG trade — and turn geopolitical turmoil elsewhere into a strategic economic opening at home.
