Foreign Experts, Investors Deepen Interest In Nigeria’s Refinery Industry

Nigeria’s refinery and downstream petroleum sector is attracting growing international attention as foreign technical experts and investors continue to show keen interest in the country’s evolving oil and gas industry, driven largely by ongoing reforms introduced by the federal government.

Industry stakeholders say recent policy shifts aimed at expanding local refining capacity, encouraging private-sector participation, and improving energy security are creating new opportunities for global partnerships and technical collaboration.

Beyond investment interests, several international players are also seeking avenues to transfer technical knowledge and operational expertise to local operators to help Nigeria maximise its vast oil and gas potential.

The latest indication of this growing international interest is the participation of internationally respected refinery operations and commissioning expert, Hernando Jose Hernandez Castillo, in the forthcoming Industrial and Commercial Expo Abuja 2026.

Director of H&H Engineering Services, Hernandez, will serve as a special technical guest speaker and international presenter during the Oil and Gas Government-to-Business and Business-to-Business strategic sessions of the expo, scheduled to be held from July 28 to 30, 2026, in Abuja.

In a press statement issued to journalists in Abuja yesterday, the event coordinator, Innocent Ogu, said the oil and gas strategic sessions of the expo will provide a high-level engagement platform for federal institutions and regulators, refinery operators and modular refinery developers, downstream petroleum stakeholders, EPC and engineering companies, international technical partners and investors and oil servicing companies and industrial manufacturers

He said that, with more than three decades of international refinery experience, Hernandez has worked on major refinery projects across Nigeria, Venezuela, and other countries, including the Waltersmith Refinery in Nigeria and several PDVSA refining projects.

The organisers said his participation reflects increasing international confidence in Nigeria’s industrial and energy transformation agenda.

According to Ogu, discussions at the expo will focus on refinery infrastructure expansion, operational efficiency, local refining development, technical partnerships, investment opportunities and workforce capacity building.

It is being organised by African Legacy International Media Services Ltd.