ECOWAS President Urges Member States To Expedite Motion On Africa Gas Project

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By Mark Longyen

)Dr Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, has referred to as on Member States to collaborate and expedite motion towards guaranteeing that the African-Atlantic fuel mission(AAGP) turns into a actuality.

Touray made the plea at a joint assembly of the Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) Ministers of Hydrocarbons and Energy, with Morocco and Mauritania taking part, on Friday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reviews that the power ministers’ assembly was to deliberate on AAGP’s institutional agreements to facilitate regional entry to pure fuel and enlargement throughout international markets

It is a 6,800km fuel pipeline community throughout the ECOWAS subregion, 5,100 kilometres offshore from Nigeria to Morocco, passing by means of the coastal international locations to Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

The president , who was represented by Mr Sediko Douka, ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy, and Digitalisation, stated the mission had already reached a vital stage of its implementation.

He stated the principle goal of the assembly was to supply an replace on the general progress of the mission, and current to them the most recent variations of the neighborhood texts.

“We have reached a vital section within the growth of this mission, and it’s important for all events to urgently collaborate and be certain that it turns into a actuality.

“This mission is of important significance for our area, as elevated entry to pure fuel is not going to solely enhance our electrical energy manufacturing/technology capability, however will even drive financial, industrial, and agricultural development throughout the area.

“As a transitional energy source, abundant natural gas usage in the region will support our countries in contributing to global climate change efforts, advancing clean and sustainable mobility, and promoting the use of clean cooking solutions,” he stated.

Touray additionally urged member states to spice up renewable power, saying it was important to develop methods, initiatives, motion plans, and regulatory frameworks to extend its share within the subregion’s power combine.

“Currently, the usage of renewable power in our area is marginal, other than hydroelectric sources, which themselves are underutilised, that’s, solely at 20 per cent.

“For us, the principle challenges dealing with the ECOWAS area are the scarcity of power manufacturing capability and the necessity to cowl power demand, in addition to entry points.

“This Forum therefore provides an opportunity to take measures to strengthen our regional structures in the energy sector, each of which is experiencing its challenges,” the president stated.

Also talking, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Mr Ekperikpe Expo, stated that the proposed African-Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) when operational will bolster Africa’s power safety and unlock new markets.

According to him, linking Nigeria’s pure fuel reserves to North Africa and Europe would increase alternatives for financial development, job creation, industrialisation, and benefiting communities throughout the linkage international locations.

He described the AAGP as a vital step towards reaching the imaginative and prescient of an built-in hydrocarbon and power infrastructure inside Africa and a mirrored image of ECOWAS’ strategic imaginative and prescient for a related and economically vibrant pipeline community.

“The draft agreement is therefore an affirmation of our commitment to enhance trade within ECOWAS and other African countries, facilitating natural gas access across the region, and expansion in global gas markets,” he stated.

NAN reviews that AAGP is the end result of the merging of West African Gas Pipeline Extension Project (WAGPEP) and Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project (NMGP) right into a single fuel energy plant mission.

The merger was authorised by ECOWAS Heads of State and Government at their 63rd Ordinary Session on July 9, 2023. (NAN)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza