A Sustainable Path for Methane Mitigation in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Sector

The report highlights the critical role of methane mitigation in Nigeria's oil and gas sector, noting that methane has over 80 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide over 20 years. It details Nigeria's commitment to the Global Methane Pledge and its specific target to reduce oil and gas methane emissions by 61% in its updated NDC. The document identifies key tools like the Nigerian Gas Flare Tracker and the prototype Satellite-based Methane Emission Tracker as essential for measurement and verification. However, it warns that inadequate curbing of gas flaring and new EU regulations on fossil fuel imports by 2030 pose significant risks to Nigeria's LNG exports and economic stability. The authors advocate for enhanced leak detection and repair (LDAR) technologies, robust regulatory enforcement, and international collaboration to meet the national goal of ending gas flaring by 2030.

• Methane is identified as a priority for immediate climate action because its global warming potential is more than 80 times that of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, despite having a shorter atmospheric lifetime of approximately 12 years.
• Nigeria has integrated specific methane reduction targets into its climate commitments, including a 61% reduction target for the oil and gas sector in its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

APA

Aminu, M. D., & Mahmoud, M. I. (2024). A Sustainable Path for Methane Mitigation in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Sector. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/a-sustainable-path-for-methane-mitigation-in-nigerias-oil-and-gas-sector

Chicago

Aminu, Mohammed Dahiru, and Mahmoud Ibrahim Mahmoud. A Sustainable Path for Methane Mitigation in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Sector. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2024. https://afripoli.org/a-sustainable-path-for-methane-mitigation-in-nigerias-oil-and-gas-sector.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Aminu |first1=Mohammed Dahiru |last2=Mahmoud |first2=Mahmoud Ibrahim |title=A Sustainable Path for Methane Mitigation in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Sector |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=3 September 2024 |url=https://afripoli.org/a-sustainable-path-for-methane-mitigation-in-nigerias-oil-and-gas-sector |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{aminu2024sustainable, author = {Aminu, Mohammed Dahiru and Mahmoud, Mahmoud Ibrahim}, title = {{A Sustainable Path for Methane Mitigation in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Sector}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://afripoli.org/a-sustainable-path-for-methane-mitigation-in-nigerias-oil-and-gas-sector}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }