Nigeria’s state oil company is relying on a long-delayed gas pipeline to spark industrial growth in the country’s north, its chief executive said after briefing President Bola Tinubu.
Bashir Ojulari, Group CEO of NNPC Ltd, told reporters that the company finished welding the main line of the $2.8 billion Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline, including the crucial River Niger crossing, which had delayed progress for years. This milestone allows the pipeline to be connected early next year, and Ojulari said it will deliver a full gas supply to northern Nigeria.
Ojulari said the project is about more than energy. It will support fertilizer plants, power generation, and gas-based industries in Kaduna, Kano, Abuja, and Ajaokuta. He expects industrial parks to emerge in these areas.
The AKK pipeline, first planned in 2008, plays a key role in Nigeria’s plan to use its gas reserves for economic growth. Its completion could transform the north, where power shortages and limited energy infrastructure have held back manufacturing for decades.
Ojulari also shared NNPC’s production goals. He said the company plans to raise oil output to 1.8 million barrels per day in 2026, up from around 1.7 million this year, and that gas production will keep increasing. He credited reforms under the Petroleum Industry Act for allowing NNPC to operate profitably without depending on federal allocations.
Ojulari said President Tinubu reaffirmed his push for $30 billion in new investments by 2030 and a target of 2 million barrels per day of oil output by 2027.
source: www.reuters.com
African Energy Council