The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, has stated that gas-to-methanol projects could play a central role in Nigeria’s economic transformation, boosting industrial growth, generating employment, and attracting foreign investment.
Speaking at the Niger Delta Oil and Gas Investment and Security Summit in Calabar, Cross River State, Ekpo said Nigeria’s vast gas reserves—210 trillion cubic feet of proven reserves and up to 600 trillion cubic feet of potential reserves—position the country as a global natural gas powerhouse.
He explained that methanol is a crucial industrial chemical with applications in plastics, pharmaceuticals, adhesives, paints, and as an emerging clean energy fuel. Ekpo noted growing international interest in Nigeria’s gas sector, citing the $3.6 billion Brass Methanol Plant in Bayelsa State, which is advancing toward its Final Investment Decision (FID).
Represented by his Senior Technical Adviser, Engr. Abel Nsa, Ekpo recalled that the Federal Government launched the Decade of Gas initiative (2021–2030) to reduce dependence on oil. He highlighted successes such as the Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme, which has converted 48 flare sites into projects for LPG, power generation, and petrochemicals.
The minister identified Cross River State as strategically suited for methanol projects, noting that new investments there would generate jobs, facilitate technology transfer, and establish the state as a hub for gas-based industrialisation.
“The Federal Government will continue to support projects that make Calabar and Cross River a true hub for gas industrialisation, methanol production, and regional exports,” Ekpo said.
He also raised concerns over oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and sabotage, describing them as significant threats to both revenue and investor confidence. Ekpo called for stronger collaboration with host communities, arguing that sustainable benefits such as jobs, schools, clinics, and infrastructure would turn local residents into protectors rather than saboteurs of oil and gas assets.
Ekpo concluded that with the right investments, gas-to-methanol projects could anchor Nigeria’s efforts toward industrial diversification, clean energy adoption, and long-term economic prosperity.