Aradel Holdings Plc has called for deeper regional collaboration across Africa as a pathway towards building a coherent and unified continental energy voice, amid persistent structural challenges affecting energy development and investment.
Speaking at the 2026 Nigerian International Energy Summit in Abuja, the Chairman of the Energy Institute and Aradel Holdings Plc, Osten Olorunsola, argued that while African countries differ in political systems, geography and resource endowment, they share enduring energy sector constraints that warrant collective responses. These include widespread electricity deficits, fragile transmission infrastructure, dependence on petroleum revenues, limited access to modern energy services, constrained financing and mounting pressures associated with the global energy transition.
Olorunsola observed that Africa is also endowed with significant untapped renewable energy and critical mineral resources, yet policy frameworks and regulatory systems remain largely confined within national boundaries. According to him, this fragmentation has limited cross border learning and slowed progress towards energy security and inclusive economic growth.
Energy access, he noted, remains closely linked to productivity, industrialisation and economic resilience across African economies. Continental initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area offer an institutional platform for greater policy alignment, including within the energy sector. However, Olorunsola cautioned that pan African frameworks can be difficult to implement uniformly, given differences in institutional capacity and political priorities across the continent.
He proposed a more incremental approach that prioritises regional cooperation as a foundation for wider continental integration. Africa’s five recognised regional groupings, North, West, East, Central and Southern Africa, could serve as practical starting points for coordinated energy planning, regulatory harmonisation and infrastructure development. Lessons drawn from these regional efforts, he suggested, could then inform broader continent wide strategies.
This position reflects ongoing policy debates across Africa concerning the limited impact of earlier cross border energy initiatives. Olorunsola pointed to factors such as weak political commitment, limited trust between states, governance challenges, inadequate institutional capacity and insufficient infrastructure coordination as recurring obstacles that have constrained outcomes.
Turning to the Nigerian context, he emphasised that regional credibility is closely linked to domestic regulatory coherence. Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Act, enacted in 2021, introduced significant reforms aimed at improving transparency, governance and investor confidence in the energy sector. Nonetheless, Olorunsola highlighted the importance of stronger collaboration between regulatory institutions, particularly the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. He argued that fragmented oversight can undermine efficiency and slow sector development.
According to him, effective regulation should prioritise enabling industry performance and long term value creation rather than entrench administrative silos. Improved coordination at national level, he suggested, would strengthen the foundations for credible regional and continental cooperation.
The Nigerian International Energy Summit, which convenes policymakers, industry leaders and civil society actors from across Africa and beyond, has become a regular platform for such dialogue. Olorunsola concluded that collaboration in Africa’s energy sector must be anchored in shared objectives, transparency, accountability and long term strategic thinking. He expressed confidence that with intentional and disciplined cooperation, Africa can articulate a more unified energy voice that reflects its development priorities and supports sustainable growth across the continent.
