West Africa is endowed with vast yet undeveloped gas resources that could support its industrialisation and the expansion of its power infrastructure.
Expert panels at Africa Oil Week (AOW) explored to what extent gas can anchor new energy corridors in the region and throughout Africa.
Panellists across two different sessions looked at the potential of virtual and physical gas pipelines, small- and large-scale LNG projects, and cross-border gas trade amongst Africa’s fastest-growing economies.
Professor Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, Nigeria’s former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, said governments in West Africa need to establish how much they can spend on infrastructure energy.
He said African governments will need to put together wealth funds instead of continuing to go cap in hand to wealthier nations.
“Governments need to look at their policies… the competition for money is going to be intense… especially with more and more African countries discovering oil and gas.”
Gas crucial to growth of countries in Africa
Joe Dadzie, CEO of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), said the country would not have reached the energy access levels without gas.
“The need for gas then becomes critical. Gas procurement is expensive… but you need to have extraction processes that will help you build economies of scale and which makes the process more affordable.
“Without gas, most African countries would struggle .”
Baboucarr Njie, Managing Director of Gambia National Petroleum Corporation, said the country has an opportunity to develop its gas resources.
He said The Gambia has significant gas reserves and that authorities are conducting soil sampling.
“We have joined the Nigerian gas pipeline project… we have a team in Nigeria looking at modalities. To harness gas-to-power… will be instrumental in helping us join the regional electricity market.”
“We have MoUs and bilateral agreements with neighbours [in place] who are helping with training technicians in the gas sector.”
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