Nigeria, Mozambique to lead Africa’s $115bn 2031-2040 gas investment surge

Africa to account for 1/4 of investments by 2050
Investors line up for continent’s gas opportunity
Domestic gas consumption rose to 183bcm in 2025

Nigeria, Mozambique, Senegal-Mauritania and Gabon are the major countries expected to lead the charge in a projected $115 billion Africa’s potential midstream gas investment upswing between 2031 and 2040.

This will be driven largely by LNG and liquefaction spending according to the latest global gas outlook and related analyses by the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GCEF).

The GECF says “this frames Africa not only as a resource base for traditional markets, but as a strategic export hub in global gas supply chains”, as the continent is expected to account for nearly a quarter of global liquefaction investments by 2050, with major projects in Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal-Mauritania and Gabon leading the charge.

These projections align with the region’s real‑time evolution. New LNG developments such as Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) on the Senegal–Mauritania maritime border have reached commercial milestones, while Mozambique’s Coral South FLNG and Nigeria’s Train 7 expansion at NLNG support infrastructure highlight growing activity, GECF said, while announcing Phillip Mshelbila’s participation at the Invest in African Energy forum in Paris, which offers investors critical insights into emerging opportunities and policy dynamics across the continent.

At the same time, assets in the Rovuma Basin, emerging fields in Tanzania and planned expansions in Egypt’s Zohr and offshore Mediterranean plains signal a broadening base of competitive gas resources across West, East and North Africa.

Beyond export potential, the continent’s domestic gas consumption continues to rise, driven by industrial demand, power generation needs and expanding LNG import infrastructure in markets such as South Africa and Ghana.

Recent market data indicate that Africa’s gas consumption climbed to 183 billion cubic meters in 2025, reflecting year‑on‑year growth and underscoring gas’s growing role in the energy mix.

At the same time, African LNG and gas markets are expanding in the midst of global energy shortages and shifting geopolitics. The GEC forum offers investors critical insights into emerging opportunities and policy dynamics across Africa.

Mshelbila, former managing director of Nigeria LNG, was appointed secretary general of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, a move the body says means his insight comes at a pivotal juncture for African gas and LNG markets, where energy security concerns, investment flows and global demand dynamics are reshaping the continent’s role in the global energy landscape.

Mshelbila assumed office at the GECF on January 1, 2026, bringing over three decades of gas, LNG and energy value‑chain experience ― including senior leadership roles at Nigeria LNG and Atlantic LNG ― to the helm of the intergovernmental body that represents major gas producers worldwide.