The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has announced that the 2025 Licensing Round will officially begin on December 1, 2025.

NUPRC Chief Executive, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, disclosed this at the Project 1MMBOPD Additional Production Investment Forum in London on Tuesday.

In a statement, NUPRC’s Head of Media and Strategic Communication, Eniola Akinkuotu, quoted Komolafe as saying the move follows the approval of President Bola Tinubu, who also serves as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources, in accordance with the Petroleum Industry Act.

“We are announcing that we are ready, following the approval of the Minister of Petroleum Resources in line with the Petroleum Industry Act, to commence the 2025 Licensing Round beginning from December 1, 2025,” Komolafe said.

The initiative is aimed at accelerating upstream oil and gas production and bringing previously discovered but undeveloped fields into commercial operation. Licensing rounds have long been a cornerstone of Nigeria’s upstream sector development strategy.

In the previous round, held in December 2024 in Lagos, 25 oil companies successfully secured commercial oil licences. That round covered both the 2022/2023 deep offshore licensing round and the 2024 Licensing Round. Of the 31 licences available, 24 were actively bid for, including six licences from the 2022/2023 mini bid round.