Nigeria has assured the United States of improved transparency in the activities of the country’s energy sector.

Mrs Elizabeth Emuren, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, gave the assurance in Washington D.C. at the maiden meeting of the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-National Commission (BNC) Working Group on Energy and Investment.

The two-day high-level meeting is taking place at the U.S. State Department with a 24-man delegation from Nigeria and a 47-man team from the U.S.

Reports say that the meeting is coming three weeks after the maiden meeting of the Working Group on Governance and Democracy in Abuja.

Emuren, who is the leader of the Nigerian delegation, expressed optimism that the meeting would encourage more U.S. direct investment in power infrastructure and manufacturing in Nigeria.

The delegations are expected to sign an agreement on electricity generation in Nigeria.

“The Nigerian Government expects that the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-National Commission will usher in improved transparency in the energy sector and enhance better demand-supply relationship in general goods and services,” Emuren said.

She noted that the resolution from the working group would also support ongoing effort to improve gas production, power generation, transmission and distribution in the country.

Mr David Goldwyn, the U.S. State Department’s Coordinator for International Energy Affairs, is the leader of the country’s 47-man delegation.

The U.S. group is made up of government officials and notable private energy companies such as Chevron, ExonMobil, General Electric Power and Halliburton.

The International Finance Organisation Group, Overseas Private Corporation Structured and Patton Boggs, a business law firm, are also on the U.S. delegation.

The working group later went into a private meeting to listen to presentations from delegates on power generation, gas production, investment and private sector participation.

The meeting is also expected to hold round table discussions on some pertinent issues in the Nigerian energy sector, including the Petroleum Industry Bill, a comprehensive bill designed to reform the oil industry.

The legislation is scheduled to be passed in August.

The meting also discussed the Local Content Bill, fuel subsidy reform, tariffs and pricing in the electricity sector.

Senior officials from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Ministries of Commerce, Energy and Foreign Affairs as well as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission are on the Nigerian delegation.

On the NNPC, it would be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan had in May ordered a comprehensive audit of the corporation’s accounts after the sack of Alhaji Shehu Ladan as the Group Managing Director.

The Federal Government has given assurance that unlike previous audits, the current process will be transparent, as the public will be carried along in the different stages.

Government officials say local and international firms have already been invited to execute the directive.