West African countries are exploring ways to harmonise regulations and fuel quality standards across the region to ease cross-border trade and improve market integration, with the West Africa Regulatory Forum (WARF) leading the call for increased investment in oil and gas infrastructure and improved operational efficiency to support the development of credible regional fuel price benchmarks.
The Chairman of WARF and Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr. Rabiu Umar, made the call at the 2026 West Africa Refined Fuel Market Conference in Abuja, which was themed “Funding West Africa Infrastructure and Distribution to Create a Transparent Market for Regional Price Benchmark.” The event, organised in collaboration with S&P Global Commodity Insights (Platts), focused on strengthening the region’s energy market through improved infrastructure, enhanced supply security and transparent pricing mechanisms.
Umar said regional integration was essential to optimise existing assets, eliminate duplication, and channel investment into infrastructure with the greatest economic impact. He stressed that efficient regional trading requires reliable movement of petroleum products from refineries to storage facilities, terminals, ports, and final markets across national borders.
Vera Blei, Head of S&P Global Commodity Insights, Platts, said West Africa must strengthen its refining capacity, improve supply chains, and expand logistics infrastructure to establish a pricing system that accurately reflects regional market realities. She disclosed that the benchmark was being developed in naira and other local currencies, adding that S&P Global had opened an office in Abuja to improve transparency and support regional price discovery.
Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Verheijen, said transparent pricing across the petroleum value chain is fundamental to building investor confidence and developing a credible regional benchmark. She noted that a regional pricing mechanism must be based on actual transactions, reliable market data, sufficient liquidity, and strong institutions rather than policy declarations.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, said West Africa must build a strong and integrated energy market capable of attracting global investment across the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors. The Federal Government has backed the establishment of a regional petrol pricing benchmark for West Africa, saying the initiative will strengthen energy security, deepen cross-border trade and enable the region to determine the value of its refined petroleum products.
The push for harmonisation builds on earlier efforts, including an ECOWAS directive adopted in September 2020 that establishes common specifications for gasoline and diesel across member states, particularly setting the sulfur content limit at 50ppm. Effective implementation is expected to reduce harmful vehicle emissions, protect public health, facilitate cross-border petroleum trade, discourage the circulation of substandard fuels and create a more integrated regional petroleum market.