Nigeria enters deal for LNG supply to Cote d’Ivoire, gas to Ghana

Nigeria’s move to seek broader frontiers for its Liquefied Natural Gas away from the traditional Asian- pacific hub received a sub- regional push on Wednesday as the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire signaled its intention to procure LNG supplies from Nigeria in support of its growing power needs. The package which is the first of its kind in the West African sub-region would see Nigeria commit a small chunk of its daily LNG output which stands at over three billion cubic feet of gas per day to its sub-regional neighbours in the first instance before the eventual extension of the West Africa Gas Pipeline to Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal.

Leading a delegation from the Ivorien Ministry of Energy to the NNPC Towers Abuja, Kone Moussa, a director stated that his country would be relying on structural diversion of LNG car- goes from Nigeria as a starter within the next few months to tackle the growing energy needs. He informed that the country has already entered into a working relationship with Sahara Energy to drive the process. Receiving the delegation, group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Joseph Dawha, stated that the NNPC is ready to cash in on the opportunity in line with its overall strategic expansion drive for Nigeria’s LNG market.

Dawha’s perspective was echoed by David Ige, NNPC’s group executive director, gas & power, who emphasised that the move would help broaden Nigeria’s energy supply base. “At the moment the entire West African sub-region, starting from Nigeria is undergoing phenomenal economic growth and that practically translates into a higher demand for energy.

As you know the West African Gas pipeline terminates in Ghana, so Cote d’Ivoire has come to request that we bring gas to them in the first instance by NLNG and ultimately in the future by extension of the pipeline,” Ige further explained. He noted that apart from offering a strategic opportunity for NNPC and Nigeria, the project is in line with the NEPAD spirit and would serve the mutual growth of ECOWAS member countries by fostering the economic integration of the West African business corridor. “What this means is that, in future, we don’t have to go as far as Europe or Asia to supply LNG when we can do so next door,’’ he said.

In a related development, a delegation from Ghana, led by the minister of power, Kwabena Donkor, was also at the NNPC Towers to seek support on issues relating to the recent unintended gas supply disruptions in the West African gas pipeline grid.