Arlington, VA – Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency announced that it will host two reverse trade missions (RTMs) that bring delegations of oil and gas industry leaders from Nigeria and three Central Asian countries to the United States to familiarize them with U.S. technologies, services, and best practices in methane abatement that can help them meet their emissions reduction and energy security goals. USTDA Director Enoh T. Ebong made the announcement during the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The RTMs will be held in 2024, comprising one delegation from Nigeria and a second from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. While in the United States, the delegations are expected to travel to multiple cities to observe U.S. methane abatement solutions in action, while building related partnerships with U.S. financiers, suppliers, and regulatory and policy experts. These reverse trade missions will follow similar programming from 2023 for delegations from Latin America and North Africa.

Methane is a potent but short-lived greenhouse gas, and reducing methane emissions is widely agreed to be the fastest way to slow the pace of global warming. The oil and gas industry is a significant source of methane emissions globally, including through the venting or flaring of natural gas associated with oil extraction. The RTMs will explore solutions to reduce oil and gas sector methane emissions, including ways to capture these gases to transform waste into new resources. The delegations will also learn more about technologies for tracking and measurement, leak detection and repair, and other innovations.

These RTMs will advance the Global Methane Pledge for a 30% reduction of global methane emissions by 2030, building on a suite of announcements at COP28. With the announcement of these RTMs, USTDA has now approved funding to sponsor methane abatement RTMs for 16 countries. 

In addition, these RTMs will support the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI)  and USTDA’s Global Partnership for Climate-Smart Infrastructure. The RTM with Nigeria aligns with and supports Nigeria’s participation in the Net Zero World Initiative, which leverages the expertise of U.S. government agencies to accelerate the decarbonization of global energy systems. 

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The U.S. Trade and Development Agency helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority infrastructure projects in emerging economies.  USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project preparation and partnership building activities that develop sustainable infrastructure and foster economic growth in partner countries.

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