Methane Mitigation and Reduction in Nigeria's Oil and Gas Sector

Nigeria is implementing a variety of regulatory tools and national plans to reduce methane emissions from its oil and gas sector, which accounted for approximately 41% of the country's total greenhouse gas emissions in 2020. While the country has reduced natural gas flaring by about 70% since 2000, it remains among the top 10 global gas flarers. National targets include reducing fugitive methane emissions by 60% by 2031 and achieving a 61% reduction in short-lived climate pollutants by 2030. However, progress is hindered by technical data gaps, inadequate leak detection infrastructure, and high mitigation costs.

• Methane emissions from Nigeria's oil and gas sector are projected to increase from 439.8 kilotonnes in 2010 to 481.2 kilotonnes by 2030 (a 9% increase) and reach a peak of 598.5 kilotonnes by 2050 (a 36% increase).
• In 2020, methane emissions from the oil and gas sector represented approximately 41% of Nigeria's total greenhouse gas emissions, totaling 152.95 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e).
• Nigeria has achieved a reduction in natural gas flaring of approximately 70% since 2000, yet it remained one of the top 10 countries flaring gas globally in 2020, wasting roughly 7.2 billion cubic meters.
• Nigeria has set multiple ambitious methane reduction targets: a 60% reduction in fugitive methane emissions by 2031 via its updated 2021 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), and a 61% reduction in methane emissions by 2030 through its National Action Plan for Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCP).
• The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) developed the Nigerian Gas Flare Tracker (NGFT) in 2018 and is currently prototyping a Satellite-based Methane Emission Tracker (SMET) to improve the measurement, reporting, and verification of emissions.
• Effective methane mitigation in Nigeria is obstructed by technical limitations, including inadequate data on emission volumes and a lack of leak detection and repair infrastructure, as well as economic barriers such as high technology costs and weak regulatory enforcement.

APA

Mahmoud, M. I. (2024). Methane Mitigation and Reduction in Nigeria's Oil and Gas Sector. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/methane-mitigation-and-reduction-in-nigerias-oil-and-gas-sector

Chicago

Mahmoud, Mahmoud Ibrahim. Methane Mitigation and Reduction in Nigeria's Oil and Gas Sector. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2024. https://afripoli.org/methane-mitigation-and-reduction-in-nigerias-oil-and-gas-sector.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mahmoud |first1=Mahmoud Ibrahim |title=Methane Mitigation and Reduction in Nigeria's Oil and Gas Sector |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=20 March 2024 |url=https://afripoli.org/methane-mitigation-and-reduction-in-nigerias-oil-and-gas-sector |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mahmoud2024methane, author = {Mahmoud, Mahmoud Ibrahim}, title = {{Methane Mitigation and Reduction in Nigeria's Oil and Gas Sector}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://afripoli.org/methane-mitigation-and-reduction-in-nigerias-oil-and-gas-sector}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }