Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has projected that the National Cylinder Recirculation Programme (NCRP) will generate thousands of jobs nationwide through the establishment of 430 cylinder requalification centres as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to improve liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) safety and expand access to clean cooking fuel.
The programme developed in collaboration with government and industry stakeholders is designed to transform the safety identification management and recirculation of LPG cylinders while supporting Nigeria’s domestic gas expansion industrialisation and clean energy transition objectives.
Announcing the initiative at a press conference at SON’s Operational Headquarters in Lagos on Friday October 23 2026 the stakeholders said the programme would establish a coordinated framework for cylinder registration inspection requalification digital tracking and safe recirculation.
The initiative is expected to address safety risks associated with expired damaged uncertified and poorly maintained cylinders while creating employment opportunities in cylinder inspection requalification manufacturing transportation retail distribution and technology services.
At the heart of the programme is a National Cylinder Registry which will assign unique digital identities to cylinders and enable the tracking of key activities throughout their lifecycle including registration inspection requalification filling distribution and exchange.
Director-General and Chief Executive Officer SON Dr Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke said the initiative would strengthen quality assurance and protect consumers while promoting confidence in LPG as a cleaner household energy source.
‘Safe and reliable LPG use depends on more than access to gas. It requires strict adherence to cylinder quality standards responsible handling and effective lifecycle tracking across the supply chain. Through the NCRP we are unifying statutory quality control with digital traceability to protect Nigerian lives and property while building consumer trust in clean energy’ he said.
Under the programme existing cylinders entering the system will undergo assessment at authorised requalification facilities. Those that meet prescribed safety requirements will be approved for continued circulation while cylinders that fail the checks will be withheld for corrective action or appropriate disposal.
Consumers will be able to exchange existing cylinders through approved retailers with collected cylinders transferred for inspection and requalification. The arrangement is intended to progressively remove unsafe cylinders from circulation and improve access to compliant alternatives.
The establishment of 430 requalification centres is expected to stimulate investment in specialised facilities and create jobs for technicians inspectors logistics operators distribution workers and other professionals across the LPG value chain.
The initiative is also expected to create business opportunities for local cylinder manufacturers equipment suppliers technology providers and retailers as demand grows for compliant cylinders and related services.
Lead Programme Director NCRP Secretariat and Managing Director of FuelTree Dr Bekeme Olowola said the programme went beyond cylinder identification to establish a national system linking safety regulation with economic development and environmental objectives.
‘The NCRP is about much more than putting QR codes on gas cylinders. We are building a national system that makes cylinder safety verifiable supports the expansion of domestic LPG consumption and creates new opportunities for investment enterprise development and job creation’ she said.
‘By connecting regulators manufacturers marketers retailers and requalification facilities through a common digital infrastructure we are turning the Federal Government’s gas expansion and clean cooking ambitions into a practical measurable programme that can also attract international climate finance.’
The programme aligns with the Federal Government’s Decade of Gas agenda which seeks to increase domestic utilisation of Nigeria’s natural gas resources and expand their contribution to economic development.
It is also intended to support the transition from traditional cooking fuels including firewood charcoal and kerosene to cleaner household energy alternatives. Wider LPG adoption could reduce exposure to harmful smoke from traditional cooking practices and ease pressure on forest resources.
The digital registry is expected to generate information that could help measure and verify eligible environmental benefits. Subject to applicable carbon market methodologies independent verification and regulatory approvals the programme could attract climate finance and potentially generate carbon credits to support cylinder access and improve affordability for vulnerable households.
Industry operators are being engaged to establish an integrated national recirculation system covering cylinder manufacturing filling inspection requalification retailing and distribution.
Better Gas is among the commercial operators participating in the initiative drawing on its cylinder exchange model and micro-distribution network.
General Manager Better Gas Bolaji Orofinlu said the programme could improve the availability of safe cylinders while strengthening last-mile distribution.
‘Ensuring last-mile access requires reliable supply logistics and strong retail partnerships. Better Gas is already aligned with the objectives of the NCRP through our cylinder-swapping model and micro-distribution centres across Abuja. The programme also presents an opportunity to support cylinder requalification and expand the availability of safe cylinders in the market’ he said.
The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) also stressed the need to withdraw obsolete cylinders from circulation.
Its Executive Secretary Bassey Essien said some cylinders currently in use had exceeded their safe service life and required urgent attention.
‘There are many types of cylinders in circulation and to be frank some are long overdue for withdrawal. I still have a cylinder in my secretariat that is 60 years old which I have kept as a specimen. Cylinders have a lifespan and once they exceed it they should be removed from circulation’ he said.
The programme’s regulatory and policy framework draws on the SON Act No. 14 of 2015 and relevant government directives concerning cylinder safety quality assurance and traceability. Its implementation also supports the policy objectives of the Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas) the Federal Ministry of Environment the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) the National Council on Climate Change and the Decade of Gas Secretariat.
Following the Lagos announcement implementation activities will include stakeholder onboarding integration of the digital registry and phased rollout across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The national unveiling is scheduled for October 28 and 29 in Abuja alongside the Nigeria Clean Cooking Forum 2026 where policymakers industry operators and prospective implementation partners are expected to discuss the programme’s deployment.
An international presentation is also planned for the Nigerian Pavilion at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) scheduled to take place in Antalya Trkiye from November 9 to 20 2026.
The presentation is expected to showcase Nigeria’s approach to digitally enabled cylinder recirculation clean cooking expansion and the potential mobilisation of international climate finance.
Through the programme SON and its partners aim to strengthen cylinder safety support domestic gas utilisation and build an industry capable of creating jobs attracting investment and expanding access to cleaner cooking energy nationwide.