- The Federal Government is seeking the World Economic Forum’s partnership to accelerate the African Atlantic gas pipeline project
- Vice President Kashim Shettima said the project will enhance regional energy security
- He noted the potential of Nigeria to drive regional growth
The Federal Government is seeking the partnership of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) project to connect Nigeria to Morocco and other African nations.
This was disclosed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, on his official X page on Friday, January 24.
According to the statement, Vice President Kashim Shettima sought the WEF’s partnership during a bilateral meeting with the President of the World Economic Forum, Mr Børge Brende, at the just-concluded WEF annual conference in Davos Switzerland.
Shettima noted that the gas pipeline project aims to enhance regional energy security and economic growth as it would transport natural gas from Nigeria to North Africa and Europe.
The Vice President further noted that several West African countries with gas reserves are gearing up to connect to the pipeline system, even as there are plans to explore undersea routes for shared benefits under the project.
The statement read, “We seek your collaboration in fundamental areas. One is on the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) which will connect Nigeria to Morocco and other African countries.
“The pipeline will transport natural gas from Nigeria to North Africa and Europe and is expected to improve energy security and economic growth in the region.
“With the geopolitical challenges in Europe from Russian gas problems and the rising demand for energy because of Artificial Intelligence, data mining, and storage, we will be in a vantage position to take advantage of this opportunity.
“A lot of littoral states in West Africa who have discovered gas are more than willing to plug into the system and feed their gas to other end users. We are also exploring the area of undersea passage of the pipelines for it to be a win-win for everyone.”
Nigeria’s potential to drive regional growth
At the conference, Shettima also highlighted Nigeria’s potential to drive growth in the West Africa region and on the continent.
He highlighted Nigeria’s economic and demographic strength, which he said makes it the largest economy on the continent.
The Vice President added that the ongoing reforms championed by President Bola Tinubu’s administration aim to place Nigeria on the path of sustained economic growth.
He said, “Nigeria is a gas nation than an oil nation. Because of our population, we either take care of the young men and women (our average is 16.9), or they take care of us in the next 10 or 20 years down the line.
“This is why we are in a hurry to develop in our enlightened self-interest. Gas provides us the utmost opportunity to generate wealth for our people.”
At WEF, Shettima, world leaders call for full implementation of AfCFTA
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, and other world leaders called for the full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which aims to grow Africa’s economy to $29 trillion by 2050.
According to a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications, Shettima and the leaders called for this at the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
