• Nigeria elected to lead AFRIPERF, created in September 2025.

• Sixteen countries attended the first executive meeting in Abuja.

• Nigeria will also host the forum’s permanent secretariat.

Nigeria has assumed the presidency of the African Petroleum Regulators Forum (AFRIPERF), a new body created in September 2025 to strengthen cooperation among national oil and gas regulators across the continent.

International media reported the development on 3 December, following the forum’s first executive committee meeting held in Abuja with representatives from sixteen African countries. Gbenga Komolafe, chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, was elected to lead the forum.

Members used the inaugural session to adopt guidelines that define how AFRIPERF will operate. They also discussed governance arrangements for the body, which is designed as a technical platform to coordinate regulatory practices without interfering with national laws. Calls for greater alignment among African hydrocarbon frameworks had intensified in recent months as countries sought to attract new upstream investment.

AFRIPERF’s launch comes at a time when governments aim to draw more capital into exploration and production. Regulators are focusing on reducing legislative discrepancies, streamlining licensing procedures and improving predictability to bolster investor confidence.

Nigeria, Africa’s top crude producer with an average output of 1.64 million barrels per day in the third quarter of 2025 according to the National Bureau of Statistics, has repeatedly pushed for deeper cooperation between regulators. Officials argue that convergence in regulatory practices would strengthen sector stability and support cross-border projects.

Members also mandated Nigeria to host AFRIPERF’s permanent secretariat, giving the country a central role in coordinating future work. The next steps include defining the forum’s operational roadmap on training, data sharing and potential common standards. Regulators indicated that membership remains open to additional African states.

This article was initially published in French by Abdel-Latif Boureima 

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum