The minister of state for petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, said African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO) in partnership with other countries in the continent will mobilise $1billion to fund critical infrastructure for collaboration between African Countries.
Kachikwu said this on Monday in a speech at the second edition of the Nigeria Petroleum Summit (NIPS), with the Theme: Sharpening the Through Efficiency and Innovation, holding in Abuja.
According to him, African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO) is made up of 18 member oil producing countries, accounts for nearly 95 per cent of Africa’s oil production and at least 13% of world production.
He said a major reform aimed at repositioning the organisation and make it relevant was recently completed.
He said, the reforms identified by the APPO included an increased synergy that would help mobilize the investment needed to facilitate and deliver the major infrastructure required by the continent, such as trans-border gas and oil pipeline, joint refineries, gas plants and others.
Kachikwu said a presentation to the APPO council of ministers at the weekend was made on all the new changes needed to be done in the organisation.
“Today most African Countries are silos doing things their own ways, building their own refineries, plants and gas turbine.
“If we could just cross the Rubicon and be able to extend hands of infrastructural relationship across Africa; build joint pipeline, plants and refineries; begin to protect the African market, we would have taken a huge step, not only in the development of Africa, but to the stabilisation of independent countries.
On his part, Group Managing Director, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Makanti Baru, said there is need to collaborate especially I’m area of infrastructure.
He said, “Today, Nigeria and Morocco are collaborating to construct a gas pipeline that will traverse at least 15 West African countries and connect the existing Europe gas pipeline. The feasibility study has been concluded and the Pre-FID greenfield optimisation study is currently ongoing. He noted that the pipeline will help in the industrialisation of these countries, “It will also meet the needs of consumers for heating and other uses. Will gas as a fuel to take Africa to the next level.
He said, that New gas discoveries have been recorded offshore Senegal, Mauritania, Mozambique and are in various stages of development.
He said, “Nigeria is also targeting to take FID on LNG Train 7 this year. So African countries need to collaborate and trade among each other not only in terms of oil and gas but also in other key sectors so that the multiplier effect is seen across our various economies.Ends
NNPC advocates collaboration in oil and gas infrastructure devt
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has proposed collaboration among African countries in the area of oil and gas infrastructure in order to remain competitive on the global stage.
Group Managing Director NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, made the call at the opening ceremony of the second edition of the Nigerian International Petroleum Summit (NIPS) in Abuja.
In a goodwill message at the summit, the NNPC helmsman said cross-nation collaboration among oil producing countries in Africa was essential to convert the challenges in the oil and gas sectors of individual countries to opportunities for the economic growth.
He listed other areas of possible collaboration to include legal and regulatory framework, noting that synergy in these areas could enhance the abundant opportunities inherent in the new oil and gas discoveries across many countries in Africa.
According to the GMD, the huge opportunities in the African oil and gas industry would not be fully tapped if African countries fail to address critical issues of lack of infrastructure, legal and regulatory impediments, and transparency issues.
Citing the proposed Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline as an example of the type of infrastructural collaboration needed across, Dr. Baru disclosed that the project would traverse at least fifteen (15) West-African countries with intake and offtake points in the various countries before it links with the existing Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline in northern Morocco.
“The feasibility study has been concluded and the pre-FEED (Front End Engineering Design) optimisation study is currently ongoing. While this pipeline will help in electrification and industrialisation of these countries, it will also meet the needs of European consumers for heating”, Dr. Baru disclosed.
He described NIPS as a veritable platform to help galvanize Africa’s response to global oil and gas challenges, stressing that it is the melting pot to meet, discuss and share ideas on how to move, not just the Nigerian oil and gas industry, but also the economies of the various countries in the continent forward.
He said NNPC shares in his vision for NIPS to be the premier African Petroleum Technology and Business Conference and the largest gathering of oil and gas professionals in the continent.
This year’s summit, “Shaping the Future through Efficiency and Innovation” attracted participants from members of African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO), Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) and Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industries (LCCI), amongst others.
