The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NAPE

  • Why NAPE at 50 must lead the next energy revolution

    Why NAPE at 50 must lead the next energy revolution

    • By Benard I. Odoh

    As the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) celebrates its 50th Anniversary, the golden jubilee offers more than a moment of pride—it presents a historic opportunity for introspection, renewal, and vision. For half a century, NAPE has been at the intellectual and professional core of Nigeria’s petroleum industry, shaping policy, nurturing talent, and advancing the science of exploration. But at this pivotal juncture in global energy history, NAPE must now position itself not only as a steward of its past achievements, but as a strategic leader in defining Africa’s energy future.

    That future is already being written in the sands of disruption and possibility. Africa remains one of the most energy-poor regions in the world, with over 600 million people still lacking access to reliable electricity. Yet, paradoxically, it is also the most promising frontier for clean, decentralized, and innovation-driven energy systems. With its abundant solar potential, vast human capital, and accelerating urbanization, Africa stands on the cusp of an energy revolution—one that will not replicate the fossil-fuelled past of the global North, but instead forge a new model rooted in sustainability, resilience, and equity.

    In this landscape of transition, NAPE’s role must evolve. The association’s deep legacy in petroleum exploration must now be leveraged as a platform for broader energy leadership. Geoscientists—armed with subsurface expertise, data analytics, and environmental insight—are uniquely positioned to guide the continent through this next chapter. From geothermal energy and carbon capture to critical mineral development and responsible land use, the skills honed in the oil and gas sector are not obsolete; they are foundational to the energy systems of the future.

    At 50, NAPE has the authority, network, and intellectual capital to catalyse this shift. Its anniversary must be more than a celebration; it must be a turning point. It must mark the association’s redefinition—from a body focused solely on petroleum exploration to a convener of pan-African discourse on energy access, climate resilience, and inclusive innovation. The association should become the bridge between traditional energy expertise and the new imperatives of sustainability, digital transformation, and community-centred development.

    Read Also: NRC suspends Warri-Itakpe train operations as engine develops fault

    Central to this evolution is NAPE’s burden of responsibility to retool and recreate the educational and professional curriculum that shapes the next generation of African geoscientists and energy professionals. The curriculum that once trained petroleum engineers for oil rigs must now be expanded to train clean energy technologists, sustainability analysts, and energy transition strategists. Africa’s future energy security will depend not only on its natural resources but on its human capital—and it is NAPE’s role to ensure that capital is fit for purpose in a radically changing energy landscape.

    Crucially, the energy transition in Africa must be contextually designed. It cannot be an imported template, but must emerge from the realities of the continent—its infrastructure gaps, informal economies, and climate vulnerabilities. NAPE’s members, rooted in local knowledge yet connected to global trends, are best suited to shape such home-grown solutions. They must embrace the dual mandate of expanding energy access while reducing environmental harm. They must lead with science, but also with empathy and vision.

    To embody this new orientation, the theme of NAPE’s 50th Anniversary should reflect bold ambition and clarity of purpose. A theme such as “NAPE at 50: Redefining Energy Leadership for Africa’s Sustainable Future” would signal a profound shift—from backward-looking commemoration to forward-thinking action. It would align NAPE with the great challenges and opportunities of our time and place the association at the heart of Africa’s energy transformation.

    Leadership today is not simply about technical knowledge—it is about moral clarity, institutional courage, and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths. It is about guiding nations through complexity, building coalitions, and shaping the policies and technologies that will determine the destiny of future generations. If NAPE can rise to this moment—if it can see its 50th Anniversary not as a culmination, but as a commencement—then its next 50 years will be even more consequential than its first.

    Yet, if NAPE fails to seize this moment—if it clings too tightly to a fading petroleum paradigm while the world advances into a new era—its relevance in the coming decades will become highly unpredictable. The profound frontiers being explored in clean energy, from solar-based transport to battery storage and integrated smart grids, are no longer theoretical. Visionaries like Elon Musk are not merely innovating—they are fundamentally reshaping the global energy architecture. The disruption is here. The shift is underway. And if NAPE does not actively insert itself into this unfolding future, it risks becoming a footnote in the very energy story it once helped to write.

    This is Africa’s energy moment. And it belongs to those with the foresight to seize it. NAPE has the history. It has the talent. Now it must summon the will to lead.

    •Odoh, a professor of Geophysics is the chairman, LOC, Africa Raw Materials Summit, 2025.

  • Why NAPE at 50 must lead the next energy revolution

    Why NAPE at 50 must lead the next energy revolution

    • By Benard I. Odoh

    As the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) celebrates its 50th Anniversary, the golden jubilee offers more than a moment of pride—it presents a historic opportunity for introspection, renewal, and vision. For half a century, NAPE has been at the intellectual and professional core of Nigeria’s petroleum industry, shaping policy, nurturing talent, and advancing the science of exploration. But at this pivotal juncture in global energy history, NAPE must now position itself not only as a steward of its past achievements, but as a strategic leader in defining Africa’s energy future.

    That future is already being written in the sands of disruption and possibility. Africa remains one of the most energy-poor regions in the world, with over 600 million people still lacking access to reliable electricity. Yet, paradoxically, it is also the most promising frontier for clean, decentralized, and innovation-driven energy systems. With its abundant solar potential, vast human capital, and accelerating urbanization, Africa stands on the cusp of an energy revolution—one that will not replicate the fossil-fuelled past of the global North, but instead forge a new model rooted in sustainability, resilience, and equity.

    In this landscape of transition, NAPE’s role must evolve. The association’s deep legacy in petroleum exploration must now be leveraged as a platform for broader energy leadership. Geoscientists—armed with subsurface expertise, data analytics, and environmental insight—are uniquely positioned to guide the continent through this next chapter. From geothermal energy and carbon capture to critical mineral development and responsible land use, the skills honed in the oil and gas sector are not obsolete; they are foundational to the energy systems of the future.

    At 50, NAPE has the authority, network, and intellectual capital to catalyse this shift. Its anniversary must be more than a celebration; it must be a turning point. It must mark the association’s redefinition—from a body focused solely on petroleum exploration to a convener of pan-African discourse on energy access, climate resilience, and inclusive innovation. The association should become the bridge between traditional energy expertise and the new imperatives of sustainability, digital transformation, and community-centred development.

    Central to this evolution is NAPE’s burden of responsibility to retool and recreate the educational and professional curriculum that shapes the next generation of African geoscientists and energy professionals. The curriculum that once trained petroleum engineers for oil rigs must now be expanded to train clean energy technologists, sustainability analysts, and energy transition strategists. Africa’s future energy security will depend not only on its natural resources but on its human capital—and it is NAPE’s role to ensure that capital is fit for purpose in a radically changing energy landscape.

    Crucially, the energy transition in Africa must be contextually designed. It cannot be an imported template, but must emerge from the realities of the continent—its infrastructure gaps, informal economies, and climate vulnerabilities. NAPE’s members, rooted in local knowledge yet connected to global trends, are best suited to shape such home-grown solutions. They must embrace the dual mandate of expanding energy access while reducing environmental harm. They must lead with science, but also with empathy and vision.

    To embody this new orientation, the theme of NAPE’s 50th Anniversary should reflect bold ambition and clarity of purpose. A theme such as “NAPE at 50: Redefining Energy Leadership for Africa’s Sustainable Future” would signal a profound shift—from backward-looking commemoration to forward-thinking action. It would align NAPE with the great challenges and opportunities of our time and place the association at the heart of Africa’s energy transformation.

    Read Also: Why I manhandled NAPEP rider who bumped my vehicle – Tacha

    Leadership today is not simply about technical knowledge—it is about moral clarity, institutional courage, and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths. It is about guiding nations through complexity, building coalitions, and shaping the policies and technologies that will determine the destiny of future generations. If NAPE can rise to this moment—if it can see its 50th Anniversary not as a culmination, but as a commencement—then its next 50 years will be even more consequential than its first.

    Yet, if NAPE fails to seize this moment—if it clings too tightly to a fading petroleum paradigm while the world advances into a new era—its relevance in the coming decades will become highly unpredictable. The profound frontiers being explored in clean energy, from solar-based transport to battery storage and integrated smart grids, are no longer theoretical. Visionaries like Elon Musk are not merely innovating—they are fundamentally reshaping the global energy architecture. The disruption is here. The shift is underway. And if NAPE does not actively insert itself into this unfolding future, it risks becoming a footnote in the very energy story it once helped to write.

    This is Africa’s energy moment. And it belongs to those with the foresight to seize it. NAPE has the history. It has the talent. Now it must summon the will to lead.

    •Odoh, a professor of Geophysics is the chairman, LOC, Africa Raw Materials Summit, 2025.

  • NAPE to address regulatory issues, others at oil, gas forum

    By Ambrose Nnaji

    The Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) will address topical issues in the Nigerian Oil and Gas industry at its 37th Annual International Conference and Exhibition scheduled to take place this November, in Lagos.

    These, according to the President of the association, Ajibola Oyebamiji included petroleum business and regulatory environment, business analysis, petroleum system characterisation and modeling.

    Others are advances in geophysics, new technology applications in exploration and production, contributions of indigenous/marginal field operators, talent management, capacity building and the next generation of exploration and production managers, alternative energy resources, exploration and production activities and the environment.

    Oyebamiji observed that Nigeria was at risk of long-term disruption to oil and gas supplies, power generation, a collapse of industries and significant loss of revenue due to continued reduction in hydrocarbon exploration activities.

    According to him, reduction in hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation has serious consequences for a country like Nigeria with a mono-economy hinged on crude oil.

    He noted procurement and contracting cycles in the Nigerian oil and gas industry was about 36months making it the longest and most inefficient in the world.

    Addressing a group of Energy Correspondents in Lagos, Oyebamiji said the long

  • How to diversify Nigeria’s economy, by NAPE

    The Nigerian Association of Petroleum Exploratio-nists  (NAPE) has identified how the government can diversify the economy and add value to its citizens.

    Its President, Dr Andrew Ejayeriese, said the government’s diversification plan must include finding and enhancing new opportunities and prudently allocating its revenue, which comes mainly from oil and gas, to the development of other key sectors of the economy.

    He told reporters in Lagos while unveiling the programme for NAPE’s forthcoming conference and exhibition scheduled for Lagos between November 17 and 22. He said although significant achievements have been recorded in the management of the nation’s oil and gas resources compared to recent past. The government, he added, must strive to build a more diversified and more resilient economy.

    According to him, the government must offer oil and gas investors an attractive environment by reforming the regulatory, fiscal and licensing systems in the country. “Knowing that the sustainability of the industry will be affected by a number of drivers, including price of oil, impact of renewable and alternative energy sources, emergence of new competition and legislative frameworks, oil and gas companies will need to look beyond new discoveries and pursue improved efficiencies and operational excellence and innovation.

    Ejayeriese also spoke on the need for the government to partner NAPE in the conduct of credible and transparent oil bid round with a view to attracting more investors and growing the oil and gas industry. He advocated the need for the government to purge itself of political and other subterranean considerations in the conduct of bid rounds.

    He said the development would go a long way in generating more revenues for the government as well as creating more job opportunities for the country. To him, Nigeria needs urgent review of archaic laws that tend to drawback the nation’s oil and gas industry, adding that NAPE would continually mount advocacy on the repeal of those laws in order to conduct the affairs of the industry in line with global standards.

    According to him, Nigeria’s prospect for gas is higher than oil, arguing that there should, therefore, be more aggressive exploration for the carbon resources in order to maximally utilise the value of the asset.

    He said the 36th edition of the annual International Conference and Exhibition of the Association will deliberate on major critical issues in a quest to address the challenges in the energy industry.

    “The conference will also throw its searchlight on survival strategies for petroleum exploration and exploitation in a challenging environment and examine the effectiveness in the existing policies to drive growth in the oil and gas industry so as to come up with initiatives for the development of road maps and new policy initiatives.

    “The absence of fiscal policy will continue to retard investments flow into Nigeria’s oil and gas industry such that attainment of 40billion crude oil reserves might not be realised.”

    The 36th conference will have as its theme: “Evolving strategies for a sustainable business in a fluctuating oil price regime.” The conference will attract over 1,500 participants within and outside the country, and the special guest of honour is the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu.

  • JV cash call debt stagnates oil reserves’ growth, says NAPE

    JV cash call debt stagnates oil reserves’ growth, says NAPE

    The Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) has blamed the shortfall in Joint Venture (JV) funding for the stagnation of Nigeria’s oil reserves at 37 billion barrels for over 10 years.

    Its President and the Chief Executive Officer, Degeconek Nigeria Limited, an oil and gas consultancy firm, Mr. Abiodun Adesanya, spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the 10th Annual sub-Saharan Africa Oil and Gas Conference in Houston, Texas, United States (U.S.).

    He lamented that the shortfall in JV counterpart funding from the Federal Government, put at $7 billion as at last year, had grave impact on exploration, adding that as a result of lack of exploration, there was no additional reserves increase.

    He regretted that the budget earmarked for exploration activities as a result of the shortfall in JV funding had dwindled over the years leading to low discoveries and drilling of new wells.

    He said: “If you don’t spend money, you don’t get anything back. It is risky, which is why when the issues of budget cut comes up, the most hit is exploration because of the associated risks. But since the present administration came up with a formula to work on JV funding, we are beginning to see interest in exploration. Don’t forget that apart from the problem of funding, the issue of security in the Niger Delta in the last 15 years has been a major challenge.”

    The NAPE chief noted that reserves had not been static but rather a plus and minus issue.

    “As you produce, you deplete reserves. As you promote certain contingents into reserves, you increase the reserves. So, what has happened is that it is better to be flat than go down. I guess the strategy is to keep it flat if we cannot make it to go up; that is why you are seeing 37 billion barrels when production is ongoing. Depletion is going on and replenishment is going on simultaneously as well. And when you have that kind of scenario, the figure could go up or down,’’ he explained.

    He assured that the 40 billion barrels of reserves targeted by the Federal Government by 2020 was achievable because the country has been able to identify where the resources to achieve the target are. He added that there were quite a number of fields that have been discovered but not yet certified by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) into being called reserves.

    He said a formula had been found to address that challenge and it seemed to be working because the country had witnessed a reduction in the vandalism of oil production infrastructure, and that again had increased the confidence of the operators to step out.

    He advised the Federal Government to make provisions for incentives for prospective investors willing to explore hydrocarbon in frontier basins to further boost the reserves. According to him,  such incentives have become necessary in view of the government’s intention to increase oil reserves to 40 billion barrels by 2020.

    Adesanya said a frontier basin is one where exploration activities have not been carried out or a basin with short-term exploration activities and a significant volume categorised as undiscovered. Such basins are Chad, Anambra, Bida, Dahomey, Gongola/Yola and the Sokoto, as well as the Middle/Lower Benue Trough.

    According to him, the government should provide incentives such as pioneer status to investors willing to explore in the cretaceous frontier basins because they are high-risk areas unlike the prolific tertiary basins such as the Niger Delta.

  • Govt, NAPE push for exploration in frontier basins

    The Federal Government and the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) are in discussion to woo investors into exploring for oil and gas in the frontier basins in Nigeria.

    NAPE President, Nosa Omorodion, said this in Lagos when the association outlined activities for its 34th yearly international conference and exhibition scheduled for November 13 to 17 in Lagos.

    The theme of the conference is “Stimulating upstream investments in Nigeria’s frontier basins.”

    Omorodion said it was imperative to look for oil and gas in other sedimentary basins outside the Niger Delta region to grow the nation’s reserves, which is fast being depleted. He said the association’s desire was to open up exploration, adding that it is economic realities that are preventing people from exploration, not fiscal terms as most people think.

    According to him, some years ago, when exploration was low, the government came up with some incentives, and signed memoranda of understanding  (MoUs), geared towards boosting oil and gas finds.

    ‘’It was at that time when we (Nigeria) attained astronomical growth in terms of reserves because people were incentivised to go and drill exploration wells.’’

    “The easy way out in a time like this is to open up our taps and produce but it is a big concern to us as explorationists because the replenishment rate doesn’t match our depletion rate which is a big concern. If we continue like this in the next 35 years we will completely run out of oil. The big chance discoveries especially the deep water, takes between eight and 10 years to bring them on stream. If you are depleting and not replacing, it is a big concern. If you make a discovery today, it will take an average of five or six years to produce it, so it is a huge gap,” he said, urging the government to give incentives that would attract investors into drilling new wells.

    On the need for the government to conduct a new licensing round, the NAPE chief said a new licensing round would be one of the topics to be discussed but that would be a subtle advocacy as a new licensing round is one way to stimulate the industry. However, he argued that even the oil wells we have as a country are not optimally explored. He said people are not drilling the wells they have because of low oil price.

    The President-elect and Chairman Conference Planning Committee, Abiodun Adesanya, noted that several issues confront the upstream section of the industry.

    He said: “We have issues such as Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) that has remained a lingering problem, shortfall in Joint Venture (JV) funding that has affected production, issues of job losses.

    ‘’Our members have lost jobs here and there, issues of vandalisation and security, which is currently waning following governments discussions with militants in the region. All these have affected us. There are times we were prevented from working, we have passion to do our jobs but with scenarios where workers are kidnapped, people are scared. As professionals we need to work, we don’t want job losses.”

  • NNPC urges NAPE to explore new oil basins

    NNPC urges NAPE to explore new oil basins

    The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Dr. Maikanti Baru has urged the National Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) to explore the hydrocarbon potential of green frontier basins in order to increase depleting reserves in the country.

    Baru spoke when he received the leadership of NAPE led by its National President, Mr. Nosa Omorodion at the NNPC Towers, Abuja, yesterday.

    He described the association as a very important party in the oil and gas industry, helping in policy promoting as well as formulation, that have led to the growth of exploration of hydrocarbon resources in the country.

    He urged NAPE to play a key role in promoting public private partnership (PPP) in the exploration of some of the green frontier basins noting that the Federal Government would be willing to make provisions for incentives for such prospective investors.

    Earlier, Mr. Omorodion said the primary objective of the association was to promote excellent ideas in the exploration of hydrocarbon which has contributed to the passage of landmark legislations such as the Local Content Act.

    He congratulated the GMD on his appointment saying that NAPE will confer on him a honourary membership award which is the highest award from the association due to his outstanding track records in the oil and gas industry later this year.

  • NAPE seeks removal of minister as NNPC’s board chair

    NAPE seeks removal of minister as NNPC’s board chair

    •Industry turnaround proposal sent to Buhari

    The Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) has asked the Federal Government to stop the  appointment of Minister of Petroleum as the statutory chairman of board of directors of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    The demand forms part of the group’s recommendations in a communiqué it sent to the government after its special workshop, held about two months ago.

    The communiqué, The Nation learnt, was sent to President Muhammadu Buhari  and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and had already met with the group on issues raised.

    Its President, Dr. Chikwendu Edoziem, confirmed to reporters in Lagos that  members had a meeting with Prof Osinbajo, but didn’t dsiclose what they discussed.

    The communiqué has 14 recommendations including provision of an enabling environment and incentives to increase exploration opportunities, especially in high-risk frontier basins and under-explored deep high pressure high temperature (HPHT), reduction of contracting cycles for services and projects to a maximum of three months and nine months respectively. They added that the lowest bidder concept is being abused through ridiculously low bids.

    The association proposed that low to medium cost technical services bids outside operator estimated cost ranges be disqualified.

    NAPE pledged to sustain engagement and mutual support between oil and gas producing companies and host communities, and recommended that the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), as it is, be unbundled and that the relevant sections of the extant Petroleum Act be amended to meet current realities, and position Nigeria to be globally competitive as an oil and gas producing country.

    It stated that the full potential of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) would better be realised if it is empowered as an independent oil and gas industry regulator.

    The association wanted DPR renamed as ‘Petroleum Directorate’ to reflect the proposed changes, increased role and overarching autonomy.

    Other recommendations include restructuring and devolution of NNPC, with a spin-off upstream company that is commercially viable semi-public Nigerian oil and gas company with world-class capacity for hydrocarbon exploration, development and production. This according to them, will allow for effective, purposeful and business-focused decision making.

    The association also said participation in, and transparency of future bid rounds  would be improved by simplifying the guidelines, increasing the frequency of the licensing rounds, and reducing the sizes of the acreages on offer. It added  that modular and micro refineries be built in the ‘Niger Delta Economic Corridor’, pooling the burgeoning illegal and unsafe refinery operators.

    It suggested that the government adopts a strategy of standardised design, streamlined and cumbersome-free approval process, to ensure an efficient turn-around time for construction to full operation of one year.

    “Government should accelerate the funding and completion of the new gas projects in the western axis of the Niger Delta to immediately add about 2,000 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d) of gas production. NAPE supports that stranded associated gas that is flared be utilised for power generation via accelerated approvals for captive power plants while targeting top flaring sites,” the association said.

  • ‘Nigeria needs 70% domgas for power generation’

    ‘Nigeria needs 70% domgas for power generation’

    To meet gas requirements for the power sector, 70 per cent of the total natural gas produced for domestic consumption (dogmas), should be allocated to the sector, the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo has said.

    Nebo stated this yesterday in Lagos at the pre-conference workshop of the 32nd Annual International Conference and Exhibition of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), themed “Driving an executable gas flare-out agenda for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.”

    He said the country has about 29 million households  with an average consumption of one megawatt (1MW) for some 500 homes; therefore, a maturing electricity supply industry should be producing some 60 gigawatts (GW) of power for household consumption every day.

    Represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Gas and Power, Mr. Frank Edozie, Nebo said of this daily power requirement, some 42 GW should be fuelled by gas. “Today, Nigeria’s daily power output is some 4 GW, which some 3.1 GW is fuelled by about 880 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMscf/d). The opportunity for gas fuelled independent power projects (IPPs), therefore, stands at roughly 39 GW for which about 11billion cubic feet of gas per day (Bcf/d) will be required.

    “If this gap was to be filled by IPPs of the size of Gbarain or Omoku, we would be looking at over 170 of them, each requiring some 60 MMscf/d,” he said.

    power have to be met through dedicated gas developments, targeted at producing gas for power. “The advantages of doing this are many and would lead to diversification of the sources of gas supply for domestic market use, with its strategic benefits in security of supply.

    He outlined current challenges confronting sustainable IPPs in Nigeria including favourable investment climate, clear policy framework, consistent and fair regulatory oversight adding that Nigeria is blessed with ample and diverse fuels for power plants such as small and large scale hydros, biomass, solar and gas.

    NAPE President, Mrs Adedoja Ojelabi, stated that the intention of the workshop is to bring together experts and players in the field to speak on the theme and subthemes of the workshop. She said that Nigeria is the seventh largest oil producer in the world and the largest oil and gas producer in Africa, with an estimated oil production capacity of about 2.9million barrels per day. “Gas reserves are estimated at about 187 with over 2.0bcf/day production covering export and domestic gas while about 80 per cent of the gas production is exported as LNG.

     

  • NAPE confab begins

    NAPE confab begins

    The 32nd annual international conference and exhibition of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) has started  at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos. It will end on November 13.

    The conference with the theme: “The future of hydrocarbon exploration:Drilling deeper, searching wider”, will bring experts together to discuss on exploring emerging and revolutionary technologies for hydrocarbon exploration, the commercialisation and exploration strategies for deepwater plays as well as portfolio growth and diversification of hydrocarbon potentials in inland basins.

    It will also deliberate on ways to drive executable gas flare-out agenda for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry as well as examine the effectiveness in the existing policies to drive growth in the oil and gas industry so as to come up with initiatives for the development of roadmaps and new policy initiatives.

    NAPE President, Adedoja Ojelabi, while talking to reporters on the conference, stated that the event will host speakers who are high level industry practitioners, key personnel in government and academia that will deliver papers on six  sub-themes including; play diversity, characterisation and operational challenges of HPHT (high pressure high temperature) and deep plays; Frontier exploration and analogues: Gulf of Guinea and West Africa transform margin basins;  Emerging technology and commercialisation strategies for deepwater plays; Searching wider and exploration growth: New exploration targets in brown field conventional play; Portfolio growth and diversification – hydrocarbon potential of inland basins and exploration strategies; and Safety, Health, Security and Environmental challenges in hydrocarbon exploration.

    Speakers include Minister of Power, Prof Chinedu Nebo; Director, Department of Petroleum Resources, George Osahon; Dr Olayiwola Fatona, Managing Director, Niger Delta Petroleum Resources Limited; Vice President, Gas Shell, Mr. Ubaka Emelumadu and Group Executive Director, Gas and Power, NNPC, Dr David Ige.