Infrastructure or Ambition? What Nigeria Needs to Lead Africa’s CNG Revolution

As I sat down for a quick coffee in Lagos during a recent trip, I overheard a conversation that felt all too familiar. A logistics manager named Wale was talking about the soaring cost of petrol and how it’s squeezing his business. His fleet of delivery vehicles consumes more than half of his company’s monthly expenses, and the recent petrol price surge to over ?850 per litre in Lagos has him worried about the future. Like many business owners, Wale is keenly aware of Nigeria’s push to transition from petrol to compressed natural gas (CNG), but his concern remains: “Will the infrastructure support such a massive shift?”

Can Nigeria Build the Backbone for a CNG Revolution?

Nigeria’s government has ambitious plans to convert 10 million vehicles to CNG within the next three years. The ?250 per kilogram cost of CNG, compared to over ?1,000 per litre for petrol, offers an attractive economic incentive for logistics firms and everyday Nigerians alike. However, as Wale pointed out, Nigeria currently lacks the infrastructure to make this a smooth transition. With only a handful of CNG refuelling stations across the country, how can Nigeria scale up?

Learning from Egypt’s Playbook

To understand how Nigeria can meet these infrastructure challenges, let’s look at Egypt, a country that successfully transitioned to CNG under similar circumstances. By 2023, Egypt had converted over 500,000 vehicles to CNG and developed an extensive network of 300 refuelling stations. This was made possible by a combination of strong government investment and public-private partnerships.

Egypt’s government worked closely with private companies to build refuelling stations and provide conversion services, helping to reduce the financial burden on the state. This is a model that Nigeria could adopt. By encouraging private sector participation, Nigeria could rapidly expand its infrastructure and ensure that CNG is accessible to everyone, from urban drivers to rural transporters.

Beyond building infrastructure, Nigeria must ensure that businesses like Wale’s logistics company feel confident in making the switch. Public awareness campaigns that demonstrate the cost savings and environmental benefits of CNG are essential. By showcasing real-world success stories and offering subsidies or tax incentives, the government can encourage widespread adoption.

The Road Ahead: Matching Ambition with Execution

Back at the café, Wale’s concern isn’t just whether CNG can save his business money—it’s whether the infrastructure will be ready in time to make the shift worth it. Nigeria’s CNG initiative is ambitious, but to succeed, it must be matched with practical, timely infrastructure development. With lessons from Egypt in mind, Nigeria has a clear roadmap for success. But the government and private sector must act quickly and collaboratively to ensure that this isn’t just another ambitious plan that falls short.

By addressing these infrastructure challenges, Nigeria could lead the continent in CNG adoption, offering both economic and environmental benefits to millions of citizens.

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