Bangladesh held talks with Nigeria in energy cooperation Thursday evening as the country has been in a deep crisis of petroleum products, created through the 40-day long war in the middle east, sources in Dhaka and Niger said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation and Bangladesh mission in Neger and
held a zoom meeting on the prospects of importing Nigerian petroleum products.
Chairman (Additional Secretary) of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation Md Rezanur Rahman in Dhaka, Director General of Africa Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ATM Abdur Rauf Mondal and Bangladesh High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Nigeria Miah Md. Mainul Kabir in Niger, Tijjani R. Ali, Executive Director, Planning & Commercial, Olujimisayo Abe – Executive Director, Gas, Distillate & Other Products, Uchechukwu I. Onuogu, Company Secretary, Ugbonne O. Nnachi-Ibian, Executive Director, Finance of NNPC Limited of Nigeria among others, took part in the meeting.
NNPC Limited of Nigeria is a dynamic global energy company with businesses and operations across the entire spectrum of the energy value chain.
The meeting discussed prospects of importing Nigerian petroleum products and will again meeting at mutually convenient time, sources said
In view of creeping energy crisis and diversify sources, Bangladesh has requested some African countries to export petroleum products as the country has been going through energy crisis amid war in the middle-east, sources said
The middle-east war leads to an energy crisis globally as the USA and Israel launched the war on February 28, 2026 by attacking Iran in violation of international law.
Bangladesh has nine missions in the African continent—Algiers (Algeria), Cairo (Egypt), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Nairobi (Kenya) Tripoli, (Libya), Port Louis (Mauritius), Rabat (Morocco), Abuja (Nigeria), Abuja (Nigeria) and Pretoria (South Africa).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent letters to the Bangladesh mission in African countries to start negotiation on importing petroleum products early last month.
Bangladesh High Commissioner to Nigeria Miah Md Mainul Kabir held meetings with the Nigerian Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) Ekperikpe Ekpo last month at the latter’s office in Abuja and requested him to export petroleum products.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and Bangladesh missions in Africa are planning to hold a zoom-meeting with stakeholders concerned on importing petroleum products this month.
As of early 2026, Ekperikpe Ekpo serves as the Nigerian Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas). Appointed by President Bola Tinubu, he oversees the development of the nation’s gas sector, including initiatives like the Nigerian Gas Master Plan 2026 and key local content transformations within the industry.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Ambassador to Algeria Md. Najmul Huda will hold a meeting with stakeholders of Algeria on the importing petroleum products.
Ambassador of Bangladesh to Morocco Sadia Faizunnesa is also working to explore new avenues to import petroleum products
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman are major exporters of petroleum products to Bangladesh, according to sources in the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) under the primarily through government-to-government (G2G) deals.
Meanwhile, the government is also considering expanding the Eastern Refinery Limited (ERL) to reduce reliance on refined fuel imports.
Nigeria produces 1,500,000 – 1,600,000 barrels per day (BPD), Libya 1,200,000–1,300,000 BPD, Angola 1,000,000 – 1,100,000 BPD, Algeria 900,000–1,000,000 BPD, Egypt500,000–600,000 BPD, Republic of the Congo 250,000 – 300,000 BPD, Gabon200,000 – 230,000 BPD, Ghana 170,000 – 200,000 BPD, South Sudan 150,000 – 170,000 BPD , Equatorial Guinea 90,000 – 120,000 BPD, Chad 80,000 – 100,000 BPD, Sudan 60,000 – 70,000 BPD, Cameroon 60,000 – 80,000 BPD, Senegal 30,000 – 40,000 BPD, Mauritania 5,000 – 10,000 BPD
It is to be mentioned here that African countries never exported petroleum products to Bangladesh in the last 55 years.
However, France, Italy, Spain and China are major investors in the energy sector of the African countries that left countries in the African continent with very limited oil to export beyond the major stakeholders.
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni conducted an official visit to Algeria March 25, 2026 seeking to secure expanded energy partnerships, as Europe seeks stable gas supplies amid disruptions tied to the war in Iran and tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation by working on new prospects such as offshore exploration to increase gas supplies from Algeria to Italy, Meloni said at a joint press conference following her meeting with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
She added that the TransMed pipeline, also known as the Mattei pipeline, which has linked the two countries since the 1980s, reflects their long-standing role as pioneers in energy cooperation.
The Italian prime minister also noted that both countries expressed concern over military escalation in Lebanon and called on the international community to work toward regional stability and a two-state solution. Meanwhile, Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Iqbal Hassan Mahmood assured the nation that Bangladesh currently has no deficit of energy as the supply has increased this year compared to last year.
