By Emmanuel Emeka, Abuja
Autogas Nigeria has announced fresh plans to expand compressed natural gas adoption across the country, with new commitments to infrastructure development, women empowerment, and local manufacturing.
The organisation made this known during the 2025 Autogas Nigeria Annual CNG Conference held on Wednesday and Thursday at the National Open University of Nigeria, Jabi, Abuja.
The event, which coincided with World Sustainable Transport Day, brought together government officials, industry leaders, development partners, transport unions, and civil society groups to discuss Nigeria’s CNG transition and review new survey findings on public perception.
Autogas Nigeria said it is expanding its national impact through three major initiatives: mobile refuelling units to ease access to CNG, a local tank manufacturing project, and the SheGas Initiative aimed at empowering women and girls with technical skills in the CNG sector.
According to the company, the National CNG Perception Survey 2025 shows that awareness of CNG is almost universal, but adoption remains low due to infrastructure and financing gaps.
The conference therefore focused on how to close these gaps through stronger partnerships and clearer implementation strategies.
Autogas Nigeria also reported key milestones, including training more than 1,000 Nigerian technicians, converting more than 2,000 vehicles within its network, and uniting more than 100 workshops under its affiliate programme to support national adoption.
The company leadership, partners, and trainees used the platform to call for more government support, increased financing options, and wider awareness to accelerate Nigeria’s shift to cleaner and cheaper fuel.
The MD and CEO of Autogas Nigeria, Hajiya Maryam Salihu Ibrahim, said it was an honour to welcome stakeholders to what she described as a truly significant gathering for Nigeria’s energy future.
She noted that the conference theme, CNG for All: Powering Nigeria’s Sustainable Future, was timely and rooted in evidence.
Hajiya Maryam said Autogas Nigeria was established in 2021 with a clear mission to drive national CNG adoption for cleaner transportation and economic stability through vehicle conversion, refuelling infrastructure and technical training.
She presented findings from the National CNG Perception Survey 2025, describing them as both encouraging and instructive.
“A remarkable 98 percent of respondents are aware of CNG. A resounding 95 percent of Nigerians believe CNG aligns perfectly with our national priorities, from economic recovery and job creation to climate resilience,” she stated.
Despite this, she noted an adoption gap, explaining that high conversion costs, limited refuelling stations and financing constraints remain key barriers.
She said the two day conference would focus on practical pathways for progress.
“We have the need to expand national CNG infrastructure through public private partnerships, introduce targeted financing, invest in local capability, and strengthen confidence through safety and quality assurance,” she said.
The MD thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for midwifing the Presidential CNG Initiative, noting that the initiative aligns with Nigeria’s energy transition and economic reform agenda.
Speaking at the event, Chief Operating Officer and Business Development Lead of Autogas Nigeria, Mr Kennedy Osagie, said the organisation started its journey four years ago with a vision to reshape transportation through CNG.
“We have trained and certified over 1,000 Nigerian technicians, turning them into skilled green energy artisans. We have converted over 2,000 vehicles, saving millions of Naira for businesses and individuals while cleaning our air. And we have united over 100 workshops under our Affiliate Programme,” he said.
Osagie announced three new initiatives for the company’s next phase.
“First is the deployment of Retrofitting and Mobile Refuelling Units. The fear of where do I refuel will be a thing of the past. We are making that happen,” he said.
On tank manufacturing, he added:
“Why should we import what we can empower our people to create? A critical component of the CNG value chain is the storage tank. Our ambitious goal is to establish local manufacturing capacity for CNG tanks right here in Nigeria.”
He also highlighted the SheGas Initiative as a major empowerment programme.
“A sustainable future cannot be built by leaving half our population behind. The SheGas Initiative will provide certified CNG installation and maintenance training for at least 200 women every year,” he said.
He noted that Autogas Nigeria will extend its training to cover electric vehicles soon.
“We would also be extending this training to electric vehicles in the near future, working with our partners,” he stated.
Osagie called for wider collaboration.
“Autogas Nigeria has laid the tracks, but we need your engines. We call upon government partners, financial institutions, private sector allies and development partners to join us. This is more than a conference; it is a call to action,” he said.
He welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement through the MDGIF on the planned construction of 500 new CNG stations across the country.
In his goodwill message, the Director General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, pledged support for the CNG initiative and recalled that the policy was introduced after subsidy removal to shift Nigeria to cleaner transportation alternatives.
He reminded stakeholders that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was the first to open up CNG opportunities as a national policy, describing it as a cheaper alternative fuel to PMS and AGO, particularly for the transport sector following the fuel subsidy removal.
He explained that the Presidential Initiative on CNG aims to convert up to one million vehicles by 2027, a move that would significantly reduce transportation costs and support Nigeria’s emission reduction commitments under the National Gas Company.
According to 2018 records, Nigeria has about 210 trillion cubic feet of gas, positioning it as a more gas-endowed nation than oil.
“We are living in a decade of gas,” he said, emphasizing that the focus on gas aligns with the ongoing energy transition plan.
Dr. Abdullahi shared an anecdote from a conference in China, where an observer expressed surprise at Nigeria’s vast gas reserves.
He stressed that producing gas is relatively straightforward due to natural buoyancy, with storage and processing being the primary challenges.
He acknowledged the presence of regulators like NMDPRA to ensure safe production and highlighted the surge in demand for CNG as evidence of a huge market awaiting investors, reinforced by political will and enabling policies such as the National Energy Policy and the National Energy Master Plan.
He pledged that the Energy Commission of Nigeria will support the CNG initiative by providing copies of its gazetted National Energy Policy and Master Plan, reviewing these documents to reflect outcomes from the conference, and promoting the localisation and domestication of CNG technologies.
He urged investors to take advantage of the growing demand for CNG and noted that national policy documents already reflect CNG as part of Nigeria’s long term energy plan.
At the training exhibition, Juliet, a workshop coordinator, expressed satisfaction with the inclusion of women through the initiative.
She hoped for more women to join the sector through the empowerment.
