NIGERIA: Transparent Licensing Round Attracts More Investors- NUPRC 

… As Bid Portal Goes Live On NUPRC’s Website On December 1, 2025.

By Lisa Chankat, Nigeria 

The Commission Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe, has promised to deliver a transparent 2025 licensing round even as he revealed that the Bid portal would go live on the NUPRC’s website on December 1, 2025.

Mr Komolafe further stated that the licensing round will undergo two stages. First will be the technical phase and then those who scale through will progress to the commercial phase.

A statement by the commission says the NUPRC boss stated this when executives of Ludoil Energy of Italy visited the Commission’s corporate headquarters in Abuja.

He said, “The portal for the licensing round will go live on December 1. The licensing round will be transparent and fair in line with the provisions of the PIA, 2021. We do not discriminate. We invite all potential investors to participate.”

In his remarks, the Group Chief Technical Officer, of the company, Mr Paolo Fedeli, said it was keen on participating in the 2025 licensing round.

“We are seeing Nigeria as our next target for growth because Nigeria is the largest producer in Africa. Your next round of licensing is an opportunity for us,” Mr Fedeli said.

The licensing round is part of the Commission’s 1MMBOPD Additional Production Investment initiative, designed to unlock one million barrels of incremental oil production per day through innovation, collaboration and reform.