Two of Nigeria’s most prominent oil and gas executives will take the stage in Lagos this month to debate a question that sits at the center of Africa’s energy policy about who pays to turn the continent’s gas into power, industry and growth.
Tony Attah, chief executive of Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, and Dapo Filani, chief executive of Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited, will headline the Africa Interviews Sustainability Forum on October 21. They will be joined by sustainability expert Lamé Verre.
The forum is themed “Energy Security and Africa’s Energy Transition: Defining the Role of Gas.” It will examine how natural gas can bolster energy security, support industrial development and draw investment into the continent’s energy sector.
The event arrives as African governments try to widen access to electricity and build domestic industries while responding to global pressure to move away from fossil fuels. Gas has become central to that balancing act, particularly for economies that need more power generation, stronger manufacturing and cheaper, more reliable energy.
Organisers say the barrier is less about resources than money and capability. Realising gas’s potential will require substantial infrastructure investment, deeper technical expertise and projects that are commercially viable.
Sessions will look at practical ways to finance energy infrastructure, build indigenous technical capacity and create conditions for sustained investment.
Attah brings more than 30 years of industry experience. He previously served as managing director and chief executive of Nigeria LNG Limited, where he oversaw a period of expansion that included the final investment decision on the company’s Train 7 project, a major investment to lift the country’s liquefied natural gas output. He was also managing director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, and his Shell career spanned operations, corporate affairs, human resources and commercial management, with postings in Russia and the Netherlands.
He now runs Renaissance, an indigenous company that acquired Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited in 2025. The deal marked a significant shift in ownership of a major player in Nigeria’s upstream sector. Attah studied mechanical engineering at the University of Ibadan and holds an MBA from the University of Benin.
Filani is a petroleum engineer with more than 26 years in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. His expertise covers exploration and production, gas commercialisation, asset development, corporate strategy and operations. Before Waltersmith, he was deputy general manager for corporate strategy and business delivery at First Exploration & Petroleum Development Company Limited.
He also held senior technical and management roles at Addax Petroleum and Eland Oil & Gas, working on field development, reservoir engineering, technical planning and gas development.
He holds a petroleum engineering degree from the University of Ibadan and an MBA in oil and gas management from Robert Gordon University in Scotland, and is an alumnus of London Business School. Organisers say his grounding in both the technical and commercial sides of the business will inform talks on developing Africa’s gas resources and turning them into bankable projects.
Verre, co-founder and chair of the advisory board of Lean In Equity & Sustainability, will offer views on sustainability, investment and the wider factors shaping the energy transition.
Beyond financing, the forum will consider how African countries can design energy strategies that reflect their own economic circumstances, resource endowments and longer-term transition goals, rather than adopting a single template.
The discussion reflects a broader tension. Many African governments want to monetize gas reserves for domestic development, while investors and lenders increasingly weigh climate considerations alongside returns. How that tension is resolved will help determine which projects get built and who funds them.
The forum is supported by Waltersmith and Sahara Group and will be held at the Capital Club in Lagos. The panel discussion runs from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Organized by Africa Interviews, the event is by invitation only.
