Energy security must come before digital inclusion, Okwuosa says

Nigeria and other African countries can’t assume renewables will soon replace fossil fuels, and they need to secure a reliable energy supply before pushing digital expansion, Emeka Okwuosa, the chairman of Oilserv Group, said.

Okwuosa told the 22nd International Conference and Exhibition on Power and Telecommunication (ICEPT 2026) that the idea of swapping oil and gas for clean power is “far from reality” for the continent’s largest economy. He called for more investment in energy security.

Okwuosa spoke in a presentation titled “Energy Transition In A Digital Era: The Nexus, Challenges & Opportunities.” The Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers organized the event. At the conference, the institute also made Okwuosa a Fellow, along with other Nigerian engineers recognized for contributions to national development.

Okwuosa listed a string of obstacles to the transition: intermittent supply, grid limits, storage concerns, financing constraints, overdependence on particular resources, cybersecurity risks, land use, regulatory bottlenecks, consumer affordability and a shortage of skilled workers.

He cited the International Energy Agency’s estimate that universal electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa by 2035 would require nearly $150 billion in investment, roughly six times current annual spending.

“So, the question is not simply: How quickly can we decarbonize? but How quickly can we industrialize, electrify, digitalize and improve living standards while reducing emissions?” he said. “Which is a much more complex question.”

Okwuosa argued that the debate looks different in Nigeria than in Europe, where the transition is mainly about cutting emissions. Nigeria, he said, has to address access, affordability, reliability, industrialization, jobs and energy security at the same time as decarbonization. He attributed the difference to the country’s circumstances, systems, demographics and priorities.

Okwuosa pointed to Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan, which sets a path to net-zero emissions by 2060 across five priority sectors: power, cooking, oil and gas, transport and industry.

The plan rests on a principle, he said, that transition must not be mistaken for energy abandonment. He argued the oil and gas industry can use digital tools to improve efficiency, safety, gas-flaring management and asset performance.

“The abundant natural gas can strengthen electricity reliability and support industrialization, while lower-carbon technologies expand access through mini-grids and distributed energy systems,” he said. Energy efficiency measures, he added, can ease demand pressure and make the overall system more resilient.

Okwuosa said the energy business was long built on molecules: oil, gas, liquefied natural gas and refined products. It is now widening to include electrons and data.

“Solar and wind generate electrons; batteries store them; electric vehicles, data centers and digital platforms consume, manage and optimize them,” he said.

Okwuosa said traditional energy companies shouldn’t see the transition only as a threat.

“It is one of the defining capital-allocation opportunities for the coming decades,” he said.