Natural gas will be a pivotal component of Africa’s energy future as it is uniquely poised for growth despite the move toward a surplus liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply in the global gas cycle.

As detailed in the African Energy Chamber’s 2026 Outlook Report, “The State of African Energy,” African demand for gas is forecast to rise 60% by 2050. In fact, gas is the only fossil fuel expected to expand its share of primary energy demand globally. Furthermore, as North Africa’s dominance in the sector diminishes, the report expects sub-Saharan Africa to drive this gas surge as the region holds over 70% of the continent’s remaining recoverable resources.

Export revenues and domestic use are the two avenues down which Africa will find the transformative benefits that gas offers, but actually getting there depends on successfully navigating infrastructure gaps, pricing disputes, and the transition from associated to non-associated gas.

Two-thirds of gas production on the continent takes place in North Africa with Algeria, Egypt, and Libya holding the top spots as leading producers with high gas penetration in their own power mixes. However, we expect North Africa’s share of total continental production to decrease to below 40% by 2035 as output from other regional producers accelerates. While sub-Saharan production currently accounts for the remaining third of current gross output, the region will dominate future growth.

With the 2021 launch of its “Decade of Gas,” a government initiative to develop gas resources and aid in the transition to cleaner energy, Nigeria will likely lead this expansion, as it already produces more than half of the region’s commercialized gas. Emerging producers like Mozambique, Tanzania, Senegal, Mauritania, and Angola are set to follow. Notably, Mozambique’s Coral Sul project, Senegal-Mauritania’s Greater Tortue project, and Congo LNG have all added new export streams since 2022.

Our 2026 Outlook Report also forecasts that total African gross gas demand will have climbed steadily from roughly 55 billion cubic meters (Bcm) per year in 2020 to over 90 Bcm by 2050. Residential, industrial, and other power sectors are anticipated to drive the growth.

With sub-Saharan Africa holding more than 400 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of recoverable gas resources, which amount to 70% of the........

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