Ministers meet in Abuja to chart new path for regional group
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
Nigeria supplied about 68 per cent of the total gas volumes transported through the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) since its inception in 2011, as cumulative deliveries hit 613.7 million MMBtu, reinforcing the country’s dominant position in regional energy supply.
Speaking at the meeting of the Committee of Ministers of WAPG in Abuja yesterday, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, who chaired the session, said the figures demonstrate that the pipeline has moved beyond projections to delivering measurable outcomes for the sub-region.
Ekpo noted that the project, conceived under the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) energy integration framework, has helped expand energy access, deepen industrial activity and strengthen economic ties among member states, with supply to downstream markets in Benin, Togo and Ghana.
“Today, more than two decades after the Common Vision was formalised, and after 15 years of full operation of the WAGP, we can say with confidence that the project has delivered tangible and measurable results. Since inception, the West African Gas Pipeline has transported cumulatively a volume of 613,728,106 MMBtu of natural gas.
“Nigeria alone supplies more than 68 per cent of the total volume transported to the downstream market in Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana. In 2025, the WAGP infrastructure recorded a transported volume of 80,023,582 MMBtu of natural gas, representing, from what we have in 2025, an increase of 22 per cent,” he explained.
He added that Nigeria remained committed to strengthening the legal and institutional framework of the pipeline, including ongoing amendments to the WAGP Act at the National Assembly to align domestic laws with evolving regional realities.
In his remarks, Managing Director of the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAGPCo), Abiodun Bodunrin, said operational performance remained strong, with gas deliveries in 2025 rising by about 23 per cent compared to 2024 and system reliability hovering around 99 per cent.
He added that between 2011 and 2025, gas supplied through the pipeline to Ghana alone generated approximately $3 billion in savings compared to the use of liquid fuels for power generation, underscoring the economic value of the infrastructure.
Bodunrin, however, warned that financial sustainability remains a concern, revealing that as of March 30, 2026, unsecured overdue invoices exceeded $50 million, a development he said threatens investor confidence and the long-term resilience of the regional gas market.
Looking ahead, he said WAPCo is targeting an additional 100 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) in capacity utilisation in 2026, representing a 45 per cent increase over 2024 levels, supported by ongoing transmission upgrades and efforts to secure supply and offtake commitments.
Also speaking, the Director General of the West African Gas Pipeline Authority (WAGPA) Chafari Hanawa, said the growth trajectory of the pipeline has been consistent, with volumes rising by more than 153 per cent from 30 million MMBtu in 2011 to 80 million MMBtu in 2025, the highest on record.
She added that the system achieved a reliability rate of 99.8 per cent in 2025 and could surpass current throughput levels in 2026 if supply conditions remain favourable.
Hanawa also highlighted the financial benefits accruing to member states, noting that corporate income tax remittances from WAPCo rose from over $12 million in 2024 to $13.8 million after reconciliation, and further jumped to more than $32.8 million in 2025, representing a 156 per cent increase.
Despite the gains, she identified key challenges, including the need for increased gas supply, improved payment discipline across the value chain, and completion of legislative amendments in member states to strengthen regulatory oversight and enforce compliance.
“By way of illustration, the volume of gas transmitted through the WAGP increased by more than 153 per cent, rising from 30 million MMBtu in 2011 to 80 million MMBtu in 2025, thereby making 2025 the best-performing year since the pipeline became operational.
“This remarkable growth was driven not only by improved gas supply from Nigeria, but also by the open access regime introduced in 2012…” she added.
On the sub-regional front, a representative of the ECOWAS Commission, Arkadius Koumoin, described the WAGP as one of the clearest expressions of regional integration in West Africa.
He said the pipeline has gone beyond being a physical asset to becoming “a strategic community instrument” that enhances energy security, supports electricity generation, drives industrialisation and deepens economic interdependence among member states.
Koumoin added that the ECOWAS Commission remains committed to supporting the optimisation and expansion of the pipeline, including its alignment with broader initiatives such as the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline project.
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