Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has called for a fundamental reset in the global energy security paradigm, demanding that grid infrastructure and system resilience receive the same strategic priority historically accorded to hydrocarbon reserves.
Delivering a keynote address titled “Energy Security and the Effect of Geopolitics” at the 50th Middle East Energy Leadership Summit in Dubai on Tuesday, Tegbe argued that modern energy security can no longer be measured solely by the volume of oil and gas assets.
The Minister argued that energy security must now be defined as the comprehensive durability of entire power systems spanning transmission networks, critical mineral supply chains, and robust institutional frameworks capable of maintaining power to industries, hospitals, and homes under geopolitical and operational stress.
Delivering his keynote, the Minister presented four foundational pillars for sustainable energy stability: prioritizing power grids with the same strategic weight as fuel supply, pursuing fuel diversification as insurance against disruption, recognizing power affordability as an integral security concern, and executing a just, orderly energy transition tailored to sovereign realities.
Tegbe positioned Africa not at the periphery, but as the strategic fulcrum of the global energy landscape.
He noted that the continent despite having 600 million people without electricity access holds critical mineral deposits, vast solar resources, a young workforce, and surging demand that will directly influence energy stability in major global hubs such as London, Tokyo, Washington, and Dubai.
Highlighting Nigeria’s domestic initiatives to build a resilient grid architecture, Tegbe pointed to the implementation of the Electricity Act 2023 under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He explained that the legislation dismantled the federal monopoly and decentralized the sector into 37 distinct sub-national electricity markets to drive capital investment and network efficiency.
The Minister emphasized that achieving grid reliability and broader sector resilience depends heavily on regulatory credibility, contract sanctity, and bankable offtake arrangements that eliminate investor uncertainty.
Tegbe also called on international partners to shift from extractive models toward collaborative investments focused on local manufacturing, grid modernization, technology transfer, and patient capital to anchor long-term energy resilience across the continent.