Nigeria Positions for Post-Oil Future as Engr. Abubakar Momoh Takes Centre Stage at Global Energy Transition Conference in Santa Marta

Nigeria Positions for Post-Oil Future as Engr. Abubakar Momoh Takes Centre Stage at Global Energy Transition Conference in Santa Marta

Santa Marta, Colombia felt less like a conference and more like a global negotiation table where the future of energy was being quietly redrawn. And at that table, Nigeria was not a spectator.

Representing Africa’s largest oil economy, Nigeria’s Minister of Regional Development,Hon Engr  Abubakar Momoh FNSE, delivered a performance that blended diplomacy, realism, and strategic clarity at the maiden International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels (TAFF 1), co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands.

From April 24 to 29, delegates from 57 countries converged in Santa Marta, each carrying their own version of the energy future. Some came with urgency. Others with caution. But Nigeria arrived with a blueprint.

And that blueprint had one central idea: transition without disruption.

Taking the stage during the high-level plenary, Minister Momoh didn’t dance around the global pressure to abandon fossil fuels. Instead, he reframed the conversation. For Nigeria and similar economies, the question is not if extraction will decline—but how that decline is managed without collapsing livelihoods, exports, and national stability.

With oil still accounting for nearly 80% of Nigeria’s export earnings, his message landed with precision. A reckless phase-out, he implied, is not transition—it is economic shock therapy.

What Nigeria advocates instead is a “phase-down” pathway—a calibrated descent from fossil fuel dependence, allowing time for diversification, investment redirection, and structural adjustment.

In a room filled with competing ideologies, that position carried weight.

But the Minister’s influence extended beyond speeches. In a defining moment of the conference, he took on the role of moderator for one of its most critical sessions: “Planned Phase-Down and Closure of Fossil Fuel Extraction.”

Here, the conversation shifted from theory to mechanics.

Countries exchanged notes on the real work of transition—how to retrain workers whose skills are tied to oil and gas, how to design social safety nets that prevent unrest, how to give investors clarity in uncertain markets, and how to align national policies with global climate commitments.

It was in this room that the abstract became tangible.

Nigeria’s presence in that discussion was not symbolic. It was instructive.

Because beyond climate rhetoric, nations like Nigeria are grappling with a dual mandate: protect the planet while protecting their people.

Minister Momoh’s interventions consistently returned to this balance. He emphasized that any global transition framework that ignores the economic realities of developing, resource-dependent countries risks deepening inequality rather than solving it.

And that message resonated.

By the close of the conference, key outcomes began to take shape: the proposed establishment of a Global Energy Transition Science Panel, new collaborative workstreams on finance and trade, and a follow-up summit scheduled for Tuvalu in 2027.

Yet, beyond the communiqués and agreements, Nigeria left Santa Marta with something more valuable—positioning.

Positioning as a country that is not resisting change, but shaping how that change happens.

Positioning as a voice for oil-producing nations navigating the tightrope between climate responsibility and economic survival.

And positioning Minister Abubakar Momoh as a steady hand in a conversation often dominated by extremes.

Because in the evolving global energy story, the loudest voices are not always the most effective.

Sometimes, it is the ones that understand both the science and the streets—the balance sheet and the human cost—that truly shape outcomes.

And in Santa Marta, Nigeria spoke with that voice.

Images below…

Captured moments from the high-level Thematic Group Session on “Planned Phase-Down and Closure of Fossil Fuel Extraction” (Section 2), held on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at Room 1, Conference Centre, Estelar Hotel, Santa Marta, Colombia—where global leaders, including Nigeria’s delegation, engaged in strategic discussions on managing a fair and structured energy transition.

Engr. Abubakar Momoh, Honourable Minister of Regional Development, in bilateral talks with the European Union Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, advancing strategic dialogue on climate action, energy transition frameworks, and mutually beneficial development partnerships.

Scenes from the Ministerial Plenary Session held on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at the Presidential Hall, Estelar Hotel, Santa Marta, Colombia. The Honourable Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, is seen engaging in high-level discussions with global counterparts on energy transition and sustainable development.

The Honourable Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, pictured with (from left) Mrs. Sian, Senior Official, BOGA Fund Programme; Professor Magnus Onuoha, Consultant to the Ministry; the UK Special Envoy on Climate Change and Green Economy; and Dr. (Mrs.) Mary Ogbe, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Regional Development.

Engr. Abubakar Momoh, Honourable Minister of Regional Development, in the company of the Permanent Secretary, Dr. (Mrs.) Mary Ogbe, and members of the Ghanaian delegation during the conference.

The Honourable Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, pictured with the Minister of Climate Change and Environment of Tuvalu.

The Honourable Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, in bilateral discussions with the UK Special Envoy on Climate Change.

The Honourable Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, seated during the plenary session. Behind him is the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Regional Development, Dr. (Mrs.) Mary Ogbe. Also pictured are the Director-General of National Climate Change, Canada, and Professor Magnus Onuoha, Consultant to the Ministry.