A dialogue to promote energy development partnership between the United States and Nigeria has been initiated by the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR). The Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR) has initiated a dialogue to promote an energy development partnership between the United States and Nigeria.
The ENR assistant secretary, Geoffrey R. Pyatt, will lead the inaugural U.S.-Nigeria Strategic Energy Dialogue in Washington, DC, on September 11-12, hosting a senior delegation from the Nigerian government led by the Honorable Minister of State Petroleum Resources Ekperikpe Ekpo.
Throughout the dialogue, U.S. and Nigerian officials will discuss opportunities to expand cooperation on improving energy security and access, decarbonising the oil and gas sector, and accelerating the energy transition. They will also use strategies to enhance Nigeria’s power sector, including electricity production and distribution.
The dialogue will advance bilateral cooperation on key State Department energy initiatives such as the Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST), Women in Energy, and the Clean Energy Demand Initiative (CEDI).
Additionally, participants will promote progress on U.S. government initiatives like Power Africa, which aims to increase electricity access and promote energy, investment, and development in sub-Saharan Africa, USAID’s Gas Flare Programme, and the Department of Energy’s Net Zero World.
Understanding the fundamental role the private sector plays in meeting bilateral energy and climate goals, the dialogue aims to foster enhanced collaboration between the U.S. and Nigerian private sectors, creating new opportunities for American and Nigerian businesses and contributing to the growth and sustainability of the energy sectors in both countries, to deliver shared prosperity to the Nigerian and American people.
The Dialogue is a key outcome of a series of successful bilateral engagements, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Nigeria in January 2024, Deputy Secretary Kurt Campbell’s meeting with Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar during the sixth U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission in April, and Assistant Secretary Pyatt’s meeting with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023, where this dialogue was agreed.
In addition to Assistant Secretary Pyatt, the United States’ delegation will include senior officials from the Bureau of African Affairs, the Office of the Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy, USAID’s Power Africa, the Department of Energy, the Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), and the Export-Import Bank (EXIM).
The dialogue will also include a public-private discussion hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to deepen private-sector partnerships and investments between the United States and Nigeria.