Sahara Group Champions Energy Security, Collaboration at NIES 2026
By Naija Enquirer Staff
Sahara Group has announced plans to promote energy security, collaboration, and innovation tailored to Africa at the 9th Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) 2026, scheduled to hold from February 2 to 5 in Abuja.
The Summit will bring together global leaders, policymakers, and industry stakeholders under the theme “Energy for Peace and Prosperity: Securing Our Shared Future.”
With over three decades of shaping Africa’s energy landscape, Sahara Group’s participation underscores its long-standing commitment to expanding access to cleaner and more reliable energy, while driving innovation, operational excellence, and competitiveness across the continent.
Speaking on the company’s participation, Bethel Obioma, Head of Corporate Communications at Sahara Group, said the company would leverage the Summit to reinforce Africa’s need for a stronger, more agile, and resilient energy sector.
“Africa can utilise platforms such as the NIES to accelerate dialogue and coordinated actions aimed at transforming and guiding the continent’s energy sector towards global competitiveness, sustainability, and shared prosperity,” Obioma stated.
He noted that Sahara Group’s delegation at the Summit would also spotlight the importance of regulatory alignment, scaling of local enterprises, and investment in human capital—particularly within the upstream sector, where the company continues to demonstrate leadership through responsible exploration and production practices.
Sahara Group’s senior technical and commercial leaders are expected to feature on high-level panels focusing on local content development, policy harmonisation, and gas-driven industrialisation.
Leste Aihevba, Chief Technical Officer at Asharami Energy, a Sahara Group upstream company, will participate in the panel session titled “Empowering Local Services, African Entrepreneurs & Multinational Partnerships.” He is expected to emphasise the need to scale indigenous capacity, strengthen local service ecosystems, and deepen partnerships that reduce operational bottlenecks and enhance resilience.
Dr. Tosin Etomi, Head of Commercial and Planning at Asharami Energy, will speak on the panel “One Africa, One Regulatory Voice: Aligning Policies for Continental Prosperity and Investment,” where he will advocate seamless regulatory coordination, predictable fiscal regimes, and regional integration to attract investment and enable cross-border energy growth.
Mariah Lucciano-Gabriel, Head of Integrated Gas Ventures at Asharami Energy, will contribute to the session “Gas for Growth: Milestones, Momentum and the Road Ahead,” highlighting the role of gas as a catalyst for Africa’s industrialisation, expansion of energy access, and balanced energy transition pathways.
Collectively, these contributions are expected to reinforce Sahara Group’s long-standing advocacy for collaboration as the cornerstone of Africa’s energy future, with strengthened alliances among operators, regulators, investors, and technology partners seen as critical to achieving responsible development and security of supply.
With operations spanning upstream, midstream, downstream, power, trading, and infrastructure across Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, Sahara Group reaffirmed its commitment to bringing energy to life responsibly while championing Africa-centric solutions driven by innovation and impact.
