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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Ekperikpo Ekpo, has disclosed that Nigeria supplies over 68 per cent of total pipeline gas to the downstream market in Benin Republic, Togo, and Ghana, as part of the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) treaty.
Ekpo, who is the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP), stated this at a meeting of the ministers yesterday in Abuja. He disclosed that in 2025, the WAGP infrastructure recorded a transported volume of 80,023,582 MMBtu of natural gas, which represented an increase of 22 per cent.
“Nigeria alone supplies more than 68% of the total volume transported to the downstream market in Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana,” he said.
He reiterated that the West African Gas Pipeline was conceived in a clear and ambitious regional spirit, adding that the State Parties were confident that the project would provide a new market for natural gas, expand energy usage in the West African region, and improve the balance between energy requirements and resources.
According to him, the WAGP project, which originated from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Energy Policy, is intended to promote the broader ECOWAS integration agenda through the development of energy cooperation between Member States, in accordance with Article 28 of the revised ECOWAS Treaty.
He referenced Article 2 of the WAGP Treaty, which provides that the State Parties undertake to permit the construction and operation of the West African Gas Pipeline and to take all measures necessary or expedient for that purpose.
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“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.
“This performance is also enhanced by the reverse flow, which allows the Republic of Ghana to transport natural gas through the WAGP from Takoradi to Tema. These are not just numbers for our records.
“There is evidence that the WAGP is working, that regional cooperation in the energy sector can produce concrete outcomes, and that shared infrastructure remains one of the strongest foundations for regional integration, industrial development and energy security in our sub-region.
“For our country, Nigeria, this project remains of utmost importance. As the major gas supply source and the founding State Party, Nigeria attaches the highest strategic value to the West African Gas Pipeline. We see it as more than a pipeline.
“We see it as a practical instrument of regional solidarity, a channel for shared prosperity, and a living example of ECOWAS vision translated into infrastructure, health and development.
“The WAGP has helped to deepen commercial ties among our countries, enhance access to cleaner sources of energy, and reinforce our collective confidence in cross-border cooperation,” he added.
