Nigeria to launch 2025 oil licensing round on December 1, says regulator

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has announced that the 2025 oil licensing round will be officially launched on December 1.

The announcement was made by commission chief executive Gbenga Komolafe on Tuesday (November 11) at the ‘Project 1MMBOPD Additional Production Investment Forum’ held in London, Nairametrics reported.

The project is a Nigerian government-led initiative organised by the NUPRC to attract investment aimed at raising the country’s crude oil output to 1mn barrels per day (bpd) of additional production. The forum brings together international investors, oil companies, and policymakers to discuss strategies for boosting upstream capacity.

“We are announcing that we are ready under the approval of the Minister of Petroleum Resources in line with the PIA [Petroleum Industry Act] to commence the 2025 licensing round beginning from December 1, 2025,” the NUPRC quoted Komolafe as saying in a post shared on X (formerly Twitter).

The new licensing round aims to unlock Nigeria’s undeveloped and dormant oil and gas fields, with a particular focus on gas-rich assets that can advance the country’s energy transition objectives. Komolafe said the initiative was intended to boost upstream output and commercialise previously discovered but untapped fields.

Licensing rounds have long formed a key pillar of Nigeria’s oil and gas investment drive, with major rounds held in 2000, 2005 and 2007, followed by targeted exercises for marginal fields and deepwater blocks. Many awarded blocks have, however, struggled to progress owing to technical, financial and regulatory hurdles.

In December 2024, the Federal Government concluded its first licensing round under the PIA 2021, awarding Petroleum Prospecting Licences (PPLs) to several indigenous companies for onshore and offshore exploration.

Allegations of irregularities during that round were later dismissed by the NUPRC, which said the process was fully compliant with the PIA and conducted transparently using encrypted digital systems. Results were announced live in the presence of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and senior government officials.

The upcoming 2025 round, aligned with efforts to deliver an additional 1mn barrels per day of output, is expected to offer clearer rules and more attractive fiscal terms under the PIA framework.

The NUPRC plans to release detailed guidelines outlining available blocks, qualification criteria and submission timelines. According to the regulator, Nigeria’s upstream sector shows renewed momentum, with rig counts rising from eight in 2021 to 69 by October 2025.