WIEN LinkedIn Article Series
Theme: Understanding Nigeria’s Upstream Sector

If you’ve ever heard the term “upstream oil and gas” and quietly wondered what it actually means, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most-used, least-explained phrases in our industry — and at WIEN, we believe understanding it is the first step to claiming your place in it.

Breaking Down the Value Chain

The oil and gas industry is generally split into three segments:

• Upstream — exploration and production (E&P): finding oil and gas reserves and getting them out of the ground (or seabed)
• Midstream — transportation and storage: moving crude oil, natural gas, and refined products via pipelines, tankers, and terminals
• Downstream — refining and marketing: turning crude into usable products like petrol, diesel, and petrochemicals, then getting them to consumers

Upstream is where the industry begins. It is capital-intensive, technically demanding, and carries the highest risk — but it also carries the highest reward, both financially and in terms of career growth.

What Upstream Actually Involves

Upstream activity spans a wide range of disciplines, including:

• Geology and geophysics — locating where oil and gas reserves may exist
• Drilling and well engineering — safely accessing those reserves
• Reservoir engineering — determining how much can be recovered and how
• Production operations — the day-to-day extraction and processing of crude and gas
• Commercial and contracts management — structuring the agreements that make projects bankable
• HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) — ensuring operations are safe and compliant

Notice something? None of these disciplines require you to have grown up around a rig. They require curiosity, discipline, and a willingness to learn — qualities that are not gender-specific.

Why This Matters for Women

Nigeria’s upstream sector sits at the heart of the country’s economy, and it is undergoing significant transformation — from the rise of indigenous operators to the shifting roles of IOCs (International Oil Companies) following major divestments. Every transformation creates new entry points.

Historically, upstream has been perceived as a male-dominated, technical-only space. That perception is outdated. Today’s upstream sector needs:

• Commercial strategists
• Legal and regulatory experts
• Project managers
• Data analysts and digital transformation specialists
• HR and organizational development professionals
• Sustainability and ESG leads

In other words, upstream needs the full range of professional expertise — and women bring critical perspectives to risk management, stakeholder engagement, and long-term value creation that the sector cannot afford to overlook.

The Numbers Tell the Story

This isn’t just a perception problem — it’s a measurable one:

• 18%: the share of Nigeria’s oil and gas workforce held by women, according to a NEITI-backed analysis of industry employment data (NEITI/ICIR)
• 1,391 out of 8,694: the number of women among total employees recorded in NEITI’s 2023 industry audit report — roughly 16%, a decline from the prior year despite overall headcount growth
• 22%: the global share of oil and gas jobs held by women — one of the lowest shares of any major industry, just ahead of construction (BCG/IEA, 2025)
• Under 15%: the share of senior management roles in the global energy sector held by women; at the SVP level, women leave the industry at nearly three times the rate of men (BCG “Untapped Reserves” analysis)
• 6%: the share of leadership positions held by women in Nigeria’s energy sector — outpacing their overall workforce share, a sign that targeted advancement efforts are gaining traction even as entry-level hiring lags

Read together, these numbers tell a clear story: the barrier isn’t capability, it’s access — to information, entry points, and sponsorship. That gap is exactly what this series, and WIEN as an organization, exists to close.

The WIEN Perspective

At Women in Energy Network, we exist to close the knowledge and access gap. Understanding the basics of upstream isn’t just industry literacy — it’s the foundation for informed career decisions, better boardroom conversations, and stronger advocacy for policies that support women’s advancement in energy.

This month, we’re taking you through the upstream journey step by step — from exploration to first oil, to the career opportunities available, to the indigenous operators reshaping our energy future.

Your Turn

If you work in energy — or you’re curious about it — start here: understand the chain, then find your place in it.

Where do you see yourself fitting into the upstream value chain? Tell us in the comments.