Africa must move beyond managing chronic energy shortages and focus on building an energy system capable of meeting growing demand, Chief Executive Officer of Heirs Energies Limited, Osayande Igiehon, has said.
Igiehon made the call at Gastech 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, where he argued that the continent’s energy challenge should be approached primarily as a question of expanding supply, strengthening infrastructure and improving reliability.
Gastech 2026, held at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC) under the theme “Where Global Energy Supply Meets Demand,” brought together more than 50,000 energy professionals from over 150 countries, including government officials, industry executives, investors, technology providers and infrastructure developers.
Igiehon was among energy-sector leaders participating in discussions on energy security, investment, infrastructure, emerging technologies and the changing global energy landscape.
During a session titled “Power for All: Delivering Universal Energy Access in an Electrifying World,” he drew attention to Africa’s persistent electricity-access challenge, noting that nearly 600 million people across the continent still lack reliable access to electricity.
He said the scale of the deficit required a practical approach to the energy transition, arguing that Africa should increase the amount of reliable energy available to consumers while progressively improving the sustainability and efficiency of its energy systems.
“For Africa, we must add energy to the system before transforming the system,” Igiehon said.
He said the objective should be to ensure that increased energy supply translates into dependable electricity for homes, hospitals, schools, businesses and industries.
Africa needs more energy, not an either-or debate
Igiehon said Africa’s energy development should not be reduced to a choice between fossil fuels and renewable energy.
Instead, he called for the simultaneous development of natural gas, hydropower, solar, wind and energy-storage technologies, alongside investment in electricity networks and improvements to existing energy infrastructure.
The approach, he said, would allow African countries to address immediate energy shortages while building the foundations for a more diversified energy system.
Nigeria, he added, has significant potential to expand gas supply to domestic, regional and international markets, with greater utilisation of the resource capable of supporting power generation, industrial activity and wider economic development.
Turning energy demand into bankable projects
At another Gastech session examining rising energy demand in emerging economies, Igiehon identified a different constraint confronting Africa: converting strong demand for energy into bankable projects supported by functional infrastructure.
He pointed to credible offtake arrangements, connected infrastructure, predictable policy frameworks and reliable payment structures as important conditions for attracting investment into the continent’s energy sector.
According to him, closing Africa’s energy-delivery gap would require action on three fronts: optimising existing brownfield assets, developing connected new infrastructure, and integrating gas, renewable energy, storage technologies and stronger electricity grids.
The issue, he said, is not simply how much energy Africa possesses, but how effectively that energy can be developed, transported and delivered to consumers.
Unreliable power carries an economic cost
Igiehon also highlighted the wider economic consequences of unreliable electricity supply.
African businesses, he said, frequently divert capital that could otherwise be deployed towards production, employment and innovation into alternative and backup power arrangements.
For economies seeking to expand manufacturing, digital services and other productive sectors, he argued that improving the reliability and availability of electricity remains critical to reducing that burden.
Heirs Energies points to OML 17 gas growth
Igiehon cited Heirs Energies’ operations at OML 17 in Nigeria as an example of increased domestic gas supply.
According to him, the company has raised gas production from approximately 50 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d) to 135 MMscf/d, with the entire volume directed to the Nigerian domestic market.
He said gas supplied from OML 17 supports five power plants and contributes to electricity supply for millions of Nigerians.
The figures highlight the potential role of increased domestic gas production in addressing Nigeria’s power and industrial energy requirements, particularly where gas supply can be matched with functioning generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure.
From energy deficit to energy sufficiency
Igiehon’s interventions at Gastech 2026 placed energy sufficiency at the centre of Africa’s energy-development challenge.
For the continent, the issue extends beyond increasing generation capacity. It also involves developing resources, expanding infrastructure, improving the performance of existing assets and creating investment conditions capable of supporting projects from production through to final consumption.
His position is that Africa’s energy transition must respond to the continent’s immediate development needs while creating room for a broader and more sustainable energy mix.
Achieving that shift, he said, will require African governments and businesses to play a stronger role in developing the continent’s resources, building the infrastructure needed to deliver energy and shaping an energy future capable of supporting economic growth.
For a continent still confronting a massive electricity-access deficit, the transition from energy deficiency to energy sufficiency remains closely tied to the broader questions of industrialisation, investment, productivity and economic opportunity.
