Ministers Outline Plans for West African Gas Pipeline

…Plans Underway to Increase Pipeline Capacity Utilization by 45% by 2026

The Committee of Ministers for the West African Gas Pipeline Project convened in Abuja, emphasizing its pivotal role in advancing the regional energy agenda across West Africa.

Ministers and senior representatives from Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and Ghana convened for the meeting, joined by officials from ECOWAS, the West African Gas Pipeline Authority (WAGPA), and the West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo).

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, who opened the meeting, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the long-term sustainability and expansion of the pipeline, adding that since its inception, the WAGP has transported over 613 million MMBtu of natural gas, with Nigeria accounting for more than 68 per cent of total volumes supplied to Benin, Togo, and Ghana.

On his part, NNPC Limited’s Executive Vice President, Gas, Power & New Energy, Olalekan Ogunleye, emphasised the company’s active stewardship of Nigeria’s gas export commitments and its broader role in shaping regional energy cooperation across West Africa.

With gas throughput reaching approximately 80 million MMBtu in 2025, a 22 per cent rise on prior years, and discussions were advancing on expanding pipeline capacity utilisation by 45 per cent in 2026, NNPC Limited remains at the centre of efforts to grow a credible, commercially viable regional gas market.