West Africa could unlock a cumulative $3 trillion energy market by 2035, but only if its 16 nations abandon fragmented national strategies in favour of an integrated regional framework, according to Suleiman Yahyah, Chairman of Rosehill Group Limited Advisory Limited.
Speaking at the West Africa Refined Fuel Market Conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Yahyah warned that relying solely on standalone infrastructure projects would delay the region’s energy transition by decades. Instead, he advocated for a system-wide overhaul driven by harmonised product specifications, shared data protocols, unified energy contracts, and a central dispute resolution framework.
The conference, themed “Funding West Africa Infrastructure & Distribution to Create a Transparent Market for Regional Price Benchmarks,” was co-hosted by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), S&P Global Commodity Insights, and the West Africa Regulators Forum.
Yahyah argued that the region could no longer be described merely as an emerging market with huge potential because developments in refining and energy infrastructure were beginning to change the structure of the market.
“Once upon a time, a few months ago, this market was full of potential. But a couple of months have changed the dynamics, and we are now managing six steps for emerging markets in the energy platforms. With the presentation done yesterday and the big investments in refining and changing dynamics in global markets, we are no longer a potential; we are now at the crossroads for an infant or emerging market composition,” he said.
