Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources has signed on as anchor partner for the 2026 Lawyers in Energy International Conference and Awards, throwing the government’s institutional weight behind what organisers are billing as one of Africa’s foremost gatherings on energy law and regulation.
The partnership with the Lawyers in Energy Network, known as LIEN, positions the ministry as the most prominent backer of LEICA 2026, a two-day event set for July 13 and 14 at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos.
The collaboration signals Abuja’s intent to use legal and regulatory dialogue as a tool for shaping the country’s posture in a rapidly shifting global energy order.
“This is a demonstration of the ministry’s commitment to promoting dialogue, collaboration and sustainable growth in the country’s energy industry,” LIEN Executive Secretary Raqeebah Oloko said in a statement Thursday.
The conference carries the theme: “Net Zero, Energy Law and Regulatory Reform: Managing Risk and Unlocking Opportunity in a Carbon-Constrained Energy Market.” It arrives at a moment when African oil producers face mounting pressure from international climate frameworks while simultaneously defending the continent’s right to monetise its hydrocarbon reserves to fund development.
Farid Ghezali, Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address. Ghezali is expected to lay out Africa’s shifting energy landscape, the investment case for regional cooperation and the legal architecture needed to balance climate commitments against economic priorities a tension that sits at the core of the continent’s energy debate.
The delegate list is expected to draw legal practitioners, judges, policymakers, regulators, investors, academics and business executives from across Africa and beyond, making the conference as much a deal-making forum as a policy one.
LIEN Chairman George Etomi framed the stakes in market terms. “As countries balance energy security, sustainability and economic growth, there is an urgent need for legal and regulatory systems that inspire investor confidence while supporting innovation and responsible resource development,” he said. “LEICA 2026 will bring together the brightest minds to shape solutions for Africa’s energy future.”
The agenda spans a range of issues that cut directly to the commercial and legal risk calculus facing energy investors on the continent. Sessions will cover regulatory certainty and investment protection, carbon markets and climate finance, environmental, social and governance regulation, dispute resolution in low-carbon energy environments, and the evolving legal frameworks governing petroleum, gas, power and renewables. Cross-border energy investment and regional integration are also on the docket.
The event will close with the LEICA Awards, which recognise individuals and organisations for contributions to the energy sector.
Attendance is expected from government ministries, international organisations, energy majors, law firms, financial institutions, development finance bodies and civil society groups — a cross-section that reflects the broadening coalition of actors now shaping African energy policy.
Nigeria, Africa’s largest crude producer, has been navigating its own transition calculus, seeking to expand gas infrastructure and attract fresh upstream investment while managing its obligations under international climate agreements. The ministry’s decision to anchor LEICA 2026 suggests it sees the legal and regulatory conversation as central to that effort.
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