Nigeria has officially opened its 2025 oil and gas licensing round, putting 50 exploration and production blocks on offer as the country seeks to revive crude output and stimulate fresh capital inflows into its energy sector.
Announced by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in Abuja, the round includes 15 onshore blocks, 19 in shallow waters, 15 frontier assets, and one deepwater block. NUPRC Chief Executive Gbenga Komolafe said the bid cycle, approved by President Bola Tinubu and scheduled to run for six months from December 1, is expected to draw around US $10bn in capital, add up to two billion barrels to national reserves over the next decade, and eventually support roughly 400,000 barrels per day of additional production once the awarded assets reach full development.
READ: MCB Group, Omnicane launch green energy investment platform in Mauritius
Streamlining bidding
He explained that the exercise is being conducted under Section 73 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, which requires a transparent and competitive process, and noted that the commission has launched a digital portal to automate and streamline bidding.
To boost participation, NUPRC has reduced signature bonuses and strengthened its data offerings by reprocessing extensive 2D and 3D seismic surveys to give investors higher-resolution geological information and reduce exploration risks.
Komolafe said the round will follow a two-stage structure first a qualification phase and then a commercial bidding phase while emphasizing that winners will be selected through a fully digital, rules-based system. He highlighted that the licensing round aims to expand reserves, grow government revenue, support gas utilization in line with energy transition trends, and create thousands of direct and indirect jobs across host regions, alongside enhancing indigenous participation and technology transfer. Reflecting on recent licensing efforts, he said awardees from last year’s round have paid their signature bonuses and begun exploration activities, although new production cannot be expected immediately.
Komolafe also dismissed suggestions that non-credible, under-capitalized “briefcase companies” could secure blocks, stressing that NUPRC has put in place strong safeguards to ensure only qualified and capable bidders progress. The regulator described the 2025 round as a major investment window for Nigeria’s upstream sector and a demonstration of the government’s push to make the country not just open for business, but an attractive and competitive destination for global investors.
