African Petroleum Regulators Forum Picks Nigeria As Headquarters, Elects Komolafe Chairman

The African Petroleum Regulators Forum (AFRIPERF) has unanimously adopted Nigeria as its official headquarters and also elected the Commission Chief Executive, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engineer Gbenga Komolafe, as chairman of the Forum.
Before the endorsement, Engineer Komolafe was the interim chairman of AFRIPERF.

The decision was announced at the inaugural executive committee meeting of the Forum, which took place virtually on December 2, 2025.

The forum also elected Eyoanwan Ndiyo-Aiyetan as its secretary.

The NUPRC, which announced this on Wednesday, stated that the development reaffirms Nigeria’s central role in the African petroleum regulatory space, as Africa’s largest producer of crude oil.
The meeting, which was attended by 16 African countries, was convened to elect its leadership, determine its headquarters, and design its logo.

In his opening remarks Engineer Komolafe said, “We are laying the foundation for a more harmonised and collaborative regulatory environment across Africa.

A strong Executive Committee will help drive initiatives that promote investment, streamline regulations and support Africa’s strategic positioning in an evolving global energy space”
Out of the 16 countries that attended, eight have so far ratified the treaty, becoming full-fledged members of the Forum with voting rights.

In his acceptance speech, Engineer Komolafe thanked his African counterparts for the trust and honour, promising to ensure that no member country is left behind.

AFRIPERF aims to strengthen regional petroleum governance by fostering collaboration, cooperation and coordination among member regulators.Its objectives include: Harmonising petroleum regulations and standards, enhancing regulatory capacity through training, promoting dialogue with industry stakeholders and international organisations and addressing regional challenges.

Additionally, the Forum seeks to facilitate knowledge sharing, promote cross-border energy infrastructure development and present a virile strong unified voice for Africa in global hydrocarbon discourse, encourage technology transfer, and promote best practices.It advocates for member interests on international platforms and leverages the collective strengths of regulators to secure sustainable energy resources for development, promote investment in African petroleum exploration, ensure transparency and sound regulation, and advance ethical practices in the exploitation of petroleum.