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Nigeria’s upstream regulator formally launched its 2026 licensing round at an anniversary event in Abuja on 6 October. It offers 40 oil and gas blocks across onshore, shallow-water and deepwater terrain.
The commission said full block details, qualification rules and participation procedures would be published later. It also said the guidelines would set out evaluation methods, fuller result publication and disclosure of each bidder’s beneficial owners.
NUPRC linked the round to plans to develop petroleum resources and raise domestic production. Its chief executive cited more than 788,000 barrels per day of shut-in production identified across 63 operators and offshore projects estimated at USD 30–50 billion that could advance toward final investment decisions.
Those figures describe the regulator’s identified opportunities and plans, not current output, investment already committed or awarded blocks. The next concrete step is publication of the bidding documents; awards and subsequent field activity would need separate confirmation.