The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has announced that the 2025 Oil Licensing Round will officially begin on December 1.
The announcement was made by the commission’s chief executive, Gbenga Komolafe, at the Project 1MMBOPD Additional Production Investment Forum in London on Tuesday, November 11.
In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), Komolafe said, “We are ready, under the approval of the minister of petroleum resources and in line with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), to commence the 2025 licensing round from December 1, 2025.”
The commission explained that the licensing round aims to unlock Nigeria’s undeveloped and fallow oil and gas fields, with particular focus on gas-rich assets that can support the country’s energy transition goals.
Komolafe emphasized that the initiative seeks to accelerate upstream production and bring previously discovered but unexploited fields into commercial operation.
In December 2024, the federal government concluded its first licensing round under the PIA 2021, awarding Petroleum Prospecting Licences (PPLs) to several indigenous firms, granting them rights to explore and produce hydrocarbons from onshore and offshore blocks.
Licensing rounds have historically been central to Nigeria’s oil and gas investment strategy, with major rounds in 2000, 2005, and 2007, and more targeted rounds for marginal fields and deepwater blocks in subsequent years.
Many previously awarded blocks, however, have faced technical, financial, and regulatory challenges.
In June 2025, the regulator dismissed allegations of irregularities in the 2024 licensing round, stating that the process adhered strictly to the PIA 2021, was transparent, competitive, and technology driven, and that results were published live, verified by NEITI and other stakeholders.
The 2025 round comes amid renewed efforts to achieve the government’s 1 million barrels per day (1MMBOPD) incremental production target.
NUPRC has pledged enhanced regulatory clarity and investor-friendly terms under the PIA framework.
Comprehensive guidelines, detailing available blocks, pre qualification criteria, application procedures, and submission timelines, will be published ahead of the round to ensure transparency and global investor confidence.
NUPRC also reported a resurgence in upstream activity, with the rig count rising from eight in 2021 to 69 as of October 2025, reflecting the growing momentum in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
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