Nigeria’s oil industry workers. Credit: File
Oil producers and refiners across Africa have agreed to deepen cooperation on infrastructure, regulation and market integration as the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) called for a pragmatic and phased approach to fuel specification harmonisation across the continent.
The developments formed part of discussions at African Refiners and Distributors Association (ARDA) Week 2026 in Cape Town, where stakeholders also reviewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO) and ARDA aimed at strengthening downstream integration and energy security.
The MoU, signed by APPO Secretary General, Farid Ghezali, on behalf of the organisation, with ARDA’s President, Marie-Josephine Sidibé, representing its 80-member association, sets out priority areas of collaboration designed to align Africa’s oil and gas value chain.
These include infrastructure regulation and development, harmonisation of fiscal and regulatory frameworks, and expansion of regional infrastructure for refining, storage, and distribution of petroleum products. The agreement also promotes the establishment of regional hydrocarbon markets and enhanced local content participation.
In addition, the framework outlines technical and financial cooperation, including studies on African crude oil and petroleum products markets, initiatives to align cleaner fuel standards across regional economic communities, and the promotion of African-led financing solutions for strategic energy projects. Capacity building and human capital development were also identified as key pillars of the partnership.
Executive Secretary of ARDA, Anibor Kragha, said the strategy would be driven through five regional areas of collaboration, building on earlier policy discussions.
He noted that infrastructure remains the priority, particularly in relation to social infrastructure and regulatory development, stressing the need for structured frameworks that can support implementation and enable regional infrastructure markets to function at scale.
He added that technical and financial collaboration would be essential in advancing African energy market studies, harmonising fuel standards, and strengthening domestic financing participation alongside development finance institutions.
Human capital development, he said, would be critical to sustaining long-term progress, warning that policy ambition must be matched by skilled capacity across the sector.
