With the Theme: Gastech 2026: WHERE GLOBAL ENERGY SUPPLY MEETS DEMAND, The annual major natural gas and LNG exhibition and conference held at Bangkok International Trade and exhibition CENTRE, BITEC, BANGKOK, Thailand, brought together a cream of more than 50,000 Energy professionals from over 150 countries across government, industry and infrastructure. Among the top dignitaries was the former UK prime MINISTER, Tony Blair who spoke on GEOPOLITICS, Energy security and the need for reliable and affordable energy to support growth.
Speaking on the Theme: DELIVERING UNIVERSAL ENERGY ACCESS IN AN ELECTRIFYING WORLD, Heirs Energies CEO,Osa Igiehon highlighted Africa’s problem with nearly 600 million people still lacking reliable electricity access, and argued that the priority for now must be moving from energy deficiency to Energy sufficiency, rather than treating the transition as a choice between fossil fuels and renewables.
He called for the expansion of gas, hydro, solar, wind and storage, alongside investment across the energy value chain and the optimisation of existing assets. For Africa, he stressed the need that Africa must add energy to the system before transforming the system.
Osa Igiehon emphasised that this is the best opportunity for Nigeria to expand gas supply for domestic, regional and global markets, stressing the need that access must translate into reliable power for hospitals, schools, homes, businesses and industries, thereby driving productivity, jobs and economic growth.
On the rapid growth of energy demand across emerging economies and the challenge of turning that demand into bankable projects, infrastructure, and industrial growth, Igiehon maintained that Africa does not have an energy demand problem but an energy – delivery problem, which requires credible offtake, connected infrastructure, stable policy and reliable payment structures to unlock investment.
With his wealth of experience at Heirs Energies, using OML17 as a reference, Osa Igiehon explained how production has grown from approximately 50MMscf/d to 135,MMscf/d, with 100% directed to Nigeria’s domestic market, supporting five power plants and helping provide electricity to millions of Nigerians.
The deeper message of Mr Osa Igiehon at the Gastech 2026 is that Africa can not afford an energy transition that leaves Africa Energy poor but that the continent must first build an energy system powerful enough to drive industrialisation and development, while progressively making that system cleaner.
The Gastech 2026 has a lot of significance for Nigeria and Africa, Nigeria has changed it’s conversation from “We have gas” to ” Invest in our gas” The annual conference and exhibition offered Nigeria and Africa a bigger commercial window as global LNG buyers seek diversified and more secure supplies, Nigeria’s huge gas resources could become significantly more valuable if the country converts those reserves into bankable projects, reliable supply, infrastructure and actual development.
