Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Oil, Heineken Lokpobiri has said affordable energy remains critical to the industrialisation of developing economies and should be at the centre of global energy discussions.

Lokpobiri made the remarks on Sunday in Riyadh Saudi Arabia while delivering his scene setting address at the 17th International Energy Forum Ministerial Meeting. He co hosted the high level session alongside Italy’s Minister of the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin.

The forum themed Energy Security and Shared Goals in a New Era brought together ministers and industry executives to discuss market stability, supply security and investment.

Speaking at the event, the minister said global energy frameworks must reflect the reality that nations have different levels of infrastructure, access and capital. He noted that while for some countries energy security means protecting existing supply, for millions of people across Africa and other developing regions it still means securing basic access to reliable electricity for the first time.

Lokpobiri stated that without affordable and reliable energy, households remain constrained, factories cannot operate at full capacity and small businesses struggle to grow. He said these challenges are not theoretical but affect daily life and economic productivity in developing countries.

He further stressed that affordability, access and investment must be treated as core priorities if the international community is serious about shared goals. According to him, meaningful progress on energy transition will require inclusive policies that enable developing nations to industrialise, attract long term investment and build resilient infrastructure.

The minister also called for sustained investment in production capacity and predictable regulatory environments to support energy security worldwide.