CAPE TOWN — Africa will need up to $115 billion of investment in gas pipelines, processing, storage and liquefaction between 2031 and 2040 to make use of its reserves, the Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), Dr Philip Mshelbila, has said.

Speaking at Africa Energy Week 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa, the former Managing Director of Nigeria LNG said the continent holds more than 15 trillion cubic metres of gas, over 8 per cent of global reserves, most of which has not been developed. He noted that Africa is home to nearly a fifth of the world's population but uses less than 6 per cent of its energy.

Mshelbila said the gas investment need comes on top of a wider energy investment gap of $31 billion to $50 billion a year. He described gas as a "transformation fuel" for Africa rather than only a transition fuel, and listed five priorities: higher upstream production, infrastructure, local value addition, financing and pricing, and cross-border cooperation.

He cited projects such as the Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline and the Africa Atlantic Gas Pipeline, and said nine of the forum's 20 member countries are in Africa.