Nigeria is intensifying efforts to attract U.S. investment and technology into its oil and gas industry through a proposed U.S.-Nigeria Energy Summit, as the Federal Government seeks to unlock underdeveloped hydrocarbon assets and strengthen energy cooperation with Washington.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, said the planned summit would serve as a strategic platform for securing investment commitments and advancing bilateral energy relations between both countries.
Lokpobiri made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation from the United States Department of Energy (DOE) in Abuja, where discussions focused on the framework and objectives of the proposed summit. Details of the meeting were contained in a statement issued by the minister on Wednesday.
The U.S. delegation comprised Scott Eisner, President of BGR Group; Lester Munson, Vice-President of the firm; and Lisa Colangelo, Senior Adviser at Valcour Global Public Strategy. Also present were Ambassador Brian Browne, Special Adviser to the President on Global and Pan-African Affairs; Mr Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications; and Mr Femi Soneye, Federal Government Project Coordinator.
The planned engagement comes as Nigeria seeks to reverse years of underinvestment in upstream oil and gas activities, particularly in deepwater fields and frontier basins outside the Niger Delta, amid increasing competition for global energy capital.
According to Lokpobiri, the government is pursuing reforms aimed at improving the investment climate and translating the country’s vast hydrocarbon potential into measurable production growth and long-term energy security.
“Nigeria is deliberately shifting from potential to performance, and we are committed to reforms that unlock investment, expand production, and drive long-term energy security,” he said.
Industry analysts view the proposed summit as part of broader efforts by the administration to deepen engagement with international investors at a time when global energy financing is becoming increasingly selective, with capital gravitating toward jurisdictions that offer policy stability and commercially viable projects.
A key outcome of the discussions was the agreement that the summit should focus on bankable and investment-ready projects rather than broad policy conversations. Participants stressed the need to identify between three and seven priority projects capable of attracting immediate investor interest and delivering measurable outcomes.
The talks also highlighted Nigeria’s largely underexplored reserves, the need for increased financing and technology transfer, and the role of U.S. and Western capital in expanding exploration and processing capacity.
Both sides further underscored Nigeria’s strategic position as a reliable energy supplier in West Africa, particularly against the backdrop of evolving global energy and geopolitical dynamics.