Overview
How can African countries translate their natural gas resources into reliable, affordable and commercially sustainable energy supply?
Natural gas offers opportunities to support electricity generation, industrial development and regional energy trade. However, infrastructure gaps, financing constraints, uncertain pricing arrangements and limited regulatory capacity continue to affect market development across the continent.
Join the African School of Regulation (ASR) for a webinar examining the regulatory and commercial arrangements needed to develop functioning natural gas markets in Africa. Drawing on experiences from established and emerging markets, the discussion will explore domestic supply, investment, infrastructure access and cross-border trade.
Through expert presentations, a moderated panel and audience questions, participants will consider practical reforms that reflect national circumstances while addressing energy security, affordability and transition risks.
What You Will Learn
- How clear institutional responsibilities can strengthen gas-sector governance and regulatory effectiveness.
- How gas pricing, transport tariffs and infrastructure access arrangements influence investment and domestic supply.
- How regulatory and commercial frameworks can address supply reliability, payment risks and affordability for power generation and industrial use.
- Which reforms can support private sector participation and regional gas trade.
- How gas-sector decisions can account for emissions and energy transition risks.
Who Should Attend?
- Energy regulators and regulatory authorities.
- Government ministries and agencies responsible for energy, petroleum, finance and industrial development.
- Gas producers, suppliers, transporters and infrastructure developers.
- Power utilities, gas-to-power developers and industrial gas users.
- Investors, financial institutions and development partners.
- Researchers, academics and consultants working on energy markets, policy and regulation.
Key Discussion Areas
- Gas market development and institutional responsibilities
Defining the roles of ministries, regulators, utilities and market operators, and strengthening coordination and implementation capacity.
- Pricing, transport tariffs and infrastructure access
Developing arrangements that balance affordability, cost recovery, competition and investor confidence, including third-party access to infrastructure.
- Investment and commercial sustainability
Addressing barriers to private participation, gas supply reliability, contractual arrangements and payment risks.
- Regional cooperation and cross-border trade
Exploring regulatory and commercial barriers to regional gas trade and identifying practical opportunities for cooperation.
- Energy security and transition considerations
Assessing how gas development can support electricity generation and industrial use while managing affordability, emissions and transition risks.
Agenda
| Time (GMT) | Session |
|---|---|
| 13:00–13:05 | Welcome and objectives |
| 13:05–13:15 | Presentation 1: African natural gas markets and development pathways |
| 13:15–13:25 | Presentation 2: Regulation, pricing and infrastructure access |
| 13:25–14:05 | Moderated panel discussion |
| 14:05–14:30 | Audience questions and country experiences |
| 14:30–14:40 | Key lessons, capacity priorities and an introduction to ASR’s forthcoming Natural Gas Markets course |
| 14:40–14:45 | Closing remarks |