The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has said it will deepen stakeholder engagement and strengthen regulatory clarity to drive investment in the country’s petroleum sector.
The Authority’s newly appointed chief executive, Rabiu Abdullahi Umar, made the commitment on Monday, in his opening remarks at the NMDPRA General Counsel and Legal Advisers Forum 2026, themed “Beyond Compliance: Driving Regulatory Certainty and Investment Confidence in Nigeria’s Petroleum Sector.”
Umar told legal advisers and general counsel from licensed operators that while compliance remains the foundation of effective regulation, the industry must now focus on predictability, transparency and investor confidence.
“Compliance, while essential, is not an end in itself,” he said. “The broader objective is to create a petroleum industry characterised by certainty, predictability, transparency and confidence.”
The two-day forum, Umar said, brings together regulators, legal practitioners and industry stakeholders to examine how the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 is being implemented five years after it was enacted.
The forum’s six sessions will cover regulatory certainty and investment, institutional coordination, investment pathways, energy security, midstream development and host community implementation.
“We are now focusing not only on what the law says but on how the law is being implemented, how regulations operate in practice, how markets respond to reforms, and how investors are assessing opportunities,” Umar said.
He described the forum as “a listening platform” and urged participants to offer candid feedback, identify areas of ambiguity and propose practical solutions.
Umar said the Authority will approach regulation with “humility and openness,” promising fair and consistent enforcement and ongoing dialogue with industry players.
“The Authority will continue to engage openly with stakeholders, act transparently, regulate fairly and consistently, and remain responsive to the realities of an evolving industry,” he said.
The forum builds on last year’s efforts to embed compliance as a shared value between the regulator and legal leadership of operators.
Umar said the next phase requires translating that compliance into a stable business environment that encourages long-term capital commitments and supports Nigeria’s broader economic goals.
He acknowledged the responsibilities placed on regulators, operators and legal advisers by the PIA and invited participants to help improve regulatory outcomes through constructive engagement.
“We cannot achieve those objectives in isolation. We will achieve them through partnership, dialogue, and collective commitment of all stakeholders represented in this room,” he said.
The event draws legal and compliance chiefs from across the midstream and downstream sectors and will feature a high-level government panel alongside investment and technical sessions aimed at aligning regulatory practice with market realities.
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