Nigeria’s state oil company, NNPC Limited, has taken a major step toward strengthening Africa’s energy research capacity by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Algeria’s Sonatrach to deepen collaboration in research, development and innovation.
The agreement, executed through NNPC’s Research, Technology and Innovation (RTI) Division in partnership with the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), was formalized during the 3rd Meeting of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) Forum for R&D Directors held in Abuja.
Signed by NNPC’s Executive Vice President, Business Services, Sophia Mbakwe, and Sonatrach’s Managing Director, Khodjah Mohamed, the MoU establishes a structured framework for joint research initiatives, technology exchange, and capacity development between the two national oil companies.
Speaking at the event, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, represented by former APPO Secretary General Omar Farouk Ibrahim, described the R&D forum as a critical pillar in Africa’s response to the global energy transition.
He noted that the initiative complements other continental efforts such as the African Energy Bank and regional pipeline infrastructure aimed at improving funding, technology access, and market integration.
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In his remarks, NNPC’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, represented by CFO Adedapo Segun, emphasized that research and innovation must sit at the core of Africa’s oil and gas strategy. He warned that while innovation may be costly, the risk of technological obsolescence poses a far greater threat.
Ojulari called for a unified continental framework to pool resources, integrate data, and share risks, while also advocating for the rapid adoption of digital tools, artificial intelligence, and advanced engineering solutions across the energy value chain.
Also speaking, APPO Secretary General Farid Ghezali stressed the importance of ensuring that research outputs are practical and directly beneficial to African economies.
The Executive Secretary of PTDF, Shu’aibu Shehu Aliyu, highlighted the partnership’s role in supporting decarbonisation and environmental sustainability across member states.
Meanwhile, the Chief Innovation Officer of NNPC RTI, Rasheed Ojulari, who will serve as the incoming Chairman of the APPO R&D Directors Forum, identified priority areas for immediate collaboration. These include upstream optimisation, artificial intelligence deployment, decarbonisation technologies, and industrial systems development.
The MoU signals a growing commitment among African energy producers to build indigenous capacity, reduce reliance on external technologies, and position the continent competitively in an evolving global energy landscape.