Atoyebi SAN Calls for Regulatory Convergence in West Africa’s Oil and Gas Trade

Senior Advocate of Nigeria Oyetola Muyiwa Atoyebi, SAN, FCIArb (U.K), Notary Public, has called for stronger regulatory convergence across West Africa’s oil and gas market as regional energy trade expands beyond national borders.

In his article titled “Streamlining Trading Regulations And Policies: Policy And Regulatory Convergence For Oil And Gas Trading In West Africa,” Atoyebi argues that while the region’s petroleum trade is becoming increasingly integrated, the rules governing that trade remain largely fragmented from one country to another.

According to him, differences in licensing requirements, product standards, customs procedures, taxation, infrastructure access and reporting obligations create duplication, increase transaction costs and make cross-border transactions less predictable.

He notes that existing regional structures such as ECOWAS frameworks, the West African Gas Pipeline and the West Africa Regulators Forum, WARF, already provide a foundation for cooperation, but implementation and regulatory compatibility remain major challenges.

Atoyebi’s central argument is that West Africa does not necessarily need identical laws across all Member States.

Rather, he advocates “regulatory convergence without uniformity” — a system in which national rules remain sovereign but become more compatible, predictable and easier to navigate across borders.

The article examines the barriers facing cross-border oil and gas trade and the roles of ECOWAS, WARF and national regulators in addressing them.

Drawing lessons from the European Union and Gulf models, Atoyebi proposes a framework built around common standards, mutual recognition, coordinated supervision, efficient customs processes, transparent market data and predictable access to infrastructure.

He argues that these measures could help reduce costs and uncertainty, improve market access and transparency, strengthen energy security and support the emergence of a more integrated and competitive regional petroleum market.

The wider issue, according to the article, is that regional energy trade cannot function efficiently where commercial activity moves across borders faster than the regulatory systems meant to govern it.

For Atoyebi, the solution lies in building sufficient compatibility between national regimes to allow trade to flow more efficiently without stripping individual states of their regulatory authority.

The article reinforces a broader point in regional economic integration: where countries share markets but not sufficiently coordinated rules, businesses face higher compliance burdens and investors face greater legal uncertainty.

Atoyebi concludes that better regulatory alignment can help West Africa create a more predictable petroleum market capable of attracting investment while improving regional energy security.

Pacta sunt servanda.

Read the full article:
https://omaplex.com.ng/streamlining-trading-regulations-and-policies-policy-and-regulatory-convergence-for-oil-and-gas-trading-in-west-africa/