The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) said on 6 October that it had launched Nigeria’s 2026 oil and gas licensing round, offering 40 blocks across onshore, shallow-water and deep-water areas. It said detailed block information, qualification requirements and participation procedures would follow; those details were not yet included in the announcement.

NUPRC said the round’s guidelines would publish the evaluation method in full, provide fuller disclosure of results and require each bidder to disclose beneficial owners. Its chief executive also referred to over 788,000 barrels per day of shut-in production identified across 63 operators and estimated offshore projects worth $30 billion to $50 billion that the regulator wants to advance to final investment decisions. Those are agency estimates and priorities; the licensing launch does not mean blocks have been awarded or that the cited output or investment has been realized.