The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has confirmed that submissions for Pre-Qualification under the Nigeria 2025 Licensing Round will close at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, February 27.
In an official communication issued by the Commission’s management, the regulator stated that the deadline aligns with Section 11.2 of the Licensing Round Guidelines governing the exercise. Prospective applicants have been urged to ensure strict adherence to documentation requirements and submission timelines.
2025 Licensing Round Gains Momentum
The Nigeria 2025 Licensing Round was formally launched on December 1, 2025, marking a major milestone in the Federal Government’s strategic push to deepen upstream investment and expand hydrocarbon reserves.
The competitive bid round features a total of 50 oil and gas blocks distributed across multiple terrains:
- 15 onshore blocks
- 19 shallow-water blocks
- 15 frontier acreages
- 1 deep offshore block
According to regulatory projections, the exercise is structured to significantly enhance Nigeria’s reserve base, stimulate gas development, and revitalize exploration activity in underdeveloped basins.
Investment and Reserve Growth Targets
The Commission estimates that the licensing round could attract between $10 billion and $15 billion in capital inflows over the coming years. Additionally, authorities project that successful exploration and development of the awarded blocks may add up to two billion barrels to Nigeria’s proven oil reserves within the next decade.
Beyond reserve growth, the initiative is expected to drive increased production volumes, create employment opportunities across the petroleum value chain, and contribute to foreign exchange stability by strengthening export capacity and naira liquidity.
Two-Stage Competitive Bidding Process
NUPRC disclosed that the 2025 Licensing Round will span approximately six months and will operate under a two-stage evaluation framework.
The first phase involves a qualification assessment, where applicants’ technical, financial, and operational credentials will be scrutinized. Only pre-qualified bidders will advance to the second stage — the competitive bid phase — during which final awards will be determined.
Industry stakeholders view the structured bidding mechanism as part of broader regulatory reforms aimed at improving transparency, investor confidence, and efficiency within Nigeria’s upstream sector.
With the submission window closing on February 27, potential investors are expected to accelerate documentation processes to meet compliance standards before the cutoff.
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