Egypt’s Natural Gas Vehicles Company (Cargas) has announced plans to explore expansion opportunities in the Nigerian market, as part of efforts to support national initiatives aimed at scaling up compressed natural gas (CNG) utilisation and transferring its expertise in the sector.
Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources disclosed the development following a recent visit by a Cargas delegation to Nigeria.
The visit aligns with directives from Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Karim Badawi, to strengthen regional and international cooperation and open new frontiers for Egyptian petroleum sector companies across African markets.
During the visit, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, received Egypt’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Mohamed Fouad, alongside the Cargas delegation. Discussions focused on developing frameworks to enhance bilateral cooperation in natural gas applications, with particular emphasis on deploying CNG in the transportation sector.
Ekpo noted that achieving the ambitious targets of Nigeria’s Presidential CNG Initiative would require strong partnerships and the exchange of technical and operational expertise. He commended Egypt’s success in converting vehicles to run on natural gas and welcomed the willingness of both the Egyptian government and Cargas to support Nigeria through technology transfer and capacity development.
In line with these objectives, the Cargas delegation held a series of engagements with key regulatory institutions in Nigeria’s energy and transport sectors, including the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, National Automotive Design and Development Council, and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board.
These engagements produced initial plans covering the development of retail CNG infrastructure, establishment of conversion centres, local manufacturing of components, and training programmes to support the integration of natural gas into Nigeria’s transport system.
Founded in 1995 as Egypt’s first dedicated CNG automotive company, Cargas held a 41 per cent market share in 2025, supported by a nationwide network of 56 conversion and maintenance centres.