The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has announced the completion of the pre-qualification stage of the 2025 Licensing Round, signalling its readiness to permit successful applicants to lease data in preparation for the technical and commercial bid submissions.
It emphasised that pre-qualified applicants are mandated to lease data only from the two data sources (as applicable) and upload evidence of payment as a pre-requisite to the submission of bids.
“The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) wishes to inform the public that it has completed the pre-qualification stage of the 2025 Licensing Round and has notified successful pre-qualified applicants accordingly.
“This was done on March 16, 2026 in line with the 2025 Licensing Round Guidelines. With the pre-qualification stage now successfully completed, the Commission will from today, March 17, 2026, permit successful applicants to lease data in preparation for the technical and commercial bid submissions.
“Please note, pre-qualified applicants are mandated to lease data only from the two data sources (as applicable) and upload evidence of payment as a pre-requisite to the submission of bids,” the statement read.
The Nigerian Government, under the Licensing round which commenced in December 2025, is offering 50 oil and gas blocks across onshore, swamp/shallow water and offshore terrains spanning diverse basins.
The Government expects to attract about $10 billion in investments through the licensing round. It is also expected to add up to 2 billion barrels of oil output over the next 10 years with an estimated 400,000 barrels/Day of production volumes when the blocks are fully operational.
Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, Commission Chief Executive (CCE) of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) recently explained that the 2025 Licensing Round is not merely a bidding exercise but a clear signal of Nigeria’s deliberate effort to reposition its upstream sector for serious, long-term investment.
The CCE noted that while investment capital is increasingly selective and disciplined, Nigeria’s priority is to attract capital, grow reserves, improve production in a responsible and sustainable manner.
She said, “To therefore achieve this objective, a structured, transparent licensing round is essential. Nigeria is ready to be the beautiful bride to capital and playroom for advanced technological deployment for hydrocarbon recovery.
“The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission is mandated by law to conduct licensing rounds in a periodic, transparent, open, and fully competitive manner. In furtherance of this, the 2025 Licensing Round, the entire process will be guided strictly by published rules. Our guidelines, model contracts, bid parameters, and evaluation criteria will be clearly defined, publicly available, and fully enforceable.”
The process follows five steps: registration and pre-qualification, data acquisition, technical bid submission, evaluation, and a commercial bid conference. Only candidates with strong technical and financial credentials, professionalism, and credible plans move forward. Winners are chosen through a transparent, merit-based procedure.
