Fredrick Sekle
Petroleum Economics and Trade Expert
Oilmac Limited : StratFarm Africa Limited
A young professional in the Oil and Gas industry, with hands-on expereince in Trade Consultancy and Operations Management. I am partucularly interested in how emerging technologies, data-driven decision-making and responsible energy policies can transform the African energy landscape for sustainable development and Net-Zero goals.
Participates in
TECHNICAL PROGRAMME | Energy Leadership
Public Policy (Global and Local) - Climate Change, Transition Management, Supply Security and Energy Affordability
Forum 26 | Digital Poster Plaza 5
28
April
10:00
12:00
UTC+3
Natural Gas is the most viable time-bound transition fuel for Africa as the world advances towards net-zero and equitable energy access. Over the past decade, significant natural gas discoveries have been made in Senegal, Mauritania, Ghana and proven reserves in Nigeria exceeding 200 trillion cubic feet (NNPC, 2023)[AD1] . This indicates that the west African region can leverage on natural gas to meet it energy supply deficit while pursuing the long-term decarbonization goals, with Natural Gas as the transition fuel.
However,, without coherent and forward-looking regulation, natural gas development risks locking the region into long-lived carbon infrastructure, undermining climate commitments, and slowing the growth of sustainable and renewable energy. To address this, the paper proposes a tailored Transitional Natural Gas Development Framework (TNGDF) for West Africa, a policy and regulatory structure designed to guide responsible gas development while aligning with net-zero objectives and regional integration goals.
The TNGDF will be anchored on three pillars:
In addition, the framework also emphasizes access and affordability mandates, ensuring that rural and underserved populations benefit from gas expansion. According to the IEA (2022), approximately 490 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa still lack access to modern energy sources. As such, a deliberate policy intervention will do well to set off this energy disparity.
This paper draws on both professional experience in Ghana’s downstream fuel supply sector, and current academic engagement as a Master of Science candidate in Energy Economics at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration. Transitional Natural Gas Development Framework (TNGDF) proposes a pragmatic roadmap for West African policymakers to balance the urgent need for net-zero development with the imperative of ensuring an equitable energy future for all.
However,, without coherent and forward-looking regulation, natural gas development risks locking the region into long-lived carbon infrastructure, undermining climate commitments, and slowing the growth of sustainable and renewable energy. To address this, the paper proposes a tailored Transitional Natural Gas Development Framework (TNGDF) for West Africa, a policy and regulatory structure designed to guide responsible gas development while aligning with net-zero objectives and regional integration goals.
The TNGDF will be anchored on three pillars:
- Sunset Licensing for Gas Projects. Development and usage of natural gas within the transitional period ensuring alignment with renewable energy expansion. This approach ensures that infrastructures and investment in natural gas as a transitional fuel is developed on temporary basis within the timelines of renewable energy development.
- Carbon accountability measures. While natural gas emits 30-50% less carbon than coal and diesel, its transitional lifecycle should be transparently measured and be verified by appropriate authorities. There should be a regulation to make sure that gas infrastructures emit a particular set unit of carbon within the transitional lifecycle.
- Integrated Investment Strategies. Investment in natural gas as a transitional fuel should have a parallel investment into renewable energy sources. For instance, , investment funds for the development of Gas Processing Plants should have a mandatory percentage assigned to develop concurrently a renewable energy facility like solars.
In addition, the framework also emphasizes access and affordability mandates, ensuring that rural and underserved populations benefit from gas expansion. According to the IEA (2022), approximately 490 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa still lack access to modern energy sources. As such, a deliberate policy intervention will do well to set off this energy disparity.
This paper draws on both professional experience in Ghana’s downstream fuel supply sector, and current academic engagement as a Master of Science candidate in Energy Economics at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration. Transitional Natural Gas Development Framework (TNGDF) proposes a pragmatic roadmap for West African policymakers to balance the urgent need for net-zero development with the imperative of ensuring an equitable energy future for all.
