Le ministre d’État nigérian chargé des ressources pétrolières, le sénateur Heineken Lokpobiri, a annoncé que le Nigeria pourrait atteindre une production de 3 millions de barils de pétrole par jour (bpd) en 2025. Cette déclaration a été faite lors de la conférence sur l’énergie subsaharienne qui s’est tenue à Lagos ce mardi.
Selon le ministre, cette augmentation inclurait à la fois le pétrole brut et les condensats, tout en restant conforme aux engagements du pays envers l’Organisation des pays exportateurs de pétrole (OPEP). Lokpobiri a réaffirmé l’engagement du Nigeria et de l’Afrique à continuer d’investir dans le secteur pétrolier et gazier pour lutter contre la pauvreté énergétique.
Le ministre a exprimé sa satisfaction quant aux progrès réalisés par l’administration actuelle dans l’augmentation de la production quotidienne de pétrole. Il a rappelé qu’à l’arrivée du gouvernement en place, la production était tombée à un million de barils par jour. Aujourd’hui, elle atteint 1,8 million de barils par jour, soit une augmentation de 80 %.
"We have made considerable progress. When we arrived, we were producing barely a million barrels a day. Today, we are producing 1.8 million barrels and we can still improve on this performance. The aim now is to increase our production to between 2.5 and 3 million barrels a day this year", said Lokpobiri.
The Minister also pointed out that the distinction between crude oil and condensates could make it possible to achieve this objective more quickly. "A better classification of our products could enable us to produce three million barrels a day, without contravening OPEC commitments," he added.
However, Lokpobiri warned that regulatory and political instability was holding back foreign investment in Nigeria's energy sector. Unpredictable policy decisions and frequent regulatory changes are deterring potential investors, he said.
"Our international partners want stability and predictability. Today, the lack of coherence in public policies is detrimental to Nigeria's attractiveness. It is imperative to create a more transparent and competitive environment at global level", he insisted.
In particular, he denounced certain administrative decisions that hamper the smooth running of international oil companies, such as sudden restrictions on cash flow.
Despite these ambitions, Nigeria still has to overcome several major challenges to increase its production. In 2023, the country failed to meet its OPEC production quota of 1.5 million barrels per day. Oil theft, infrastructure vandalism and lack of investment have been identified as major obstacles to production growth.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission has nonetheless reaffirmed its commitment to raising national production above 2 million barrels per day by 2024.
With these ambitious objectives and the expected reforms, Nigeria hopes not only to regain its status as African leader in the oil sector, but also to strengthen its role in the global energy market.