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APPO Secretary-General, His Excellency, Dr Omar Farouk Ibrahim has commended an agreement, “Niamey Declaration” signed between Algeria, Niger and Nigeria for the revival of the Trans-Saharan Pipeline Project.
The commendation came during the signing ceremony on the sidelines of the 3rd Edition of the Mining and Petroleum Forum, ECOMOF2022 of the Economic Community of West African States, held from 16 to 18 February 2022 in Niamey, the capital of Niger Republic.
Speaking after the signing of the agreement by Their Excellencies, Mohamed Arkab of Algeria, Mahamane Sani Mahamadou of Niger and Timipre Sylva, HE Dr Omar Farouk Ibrahim said “I am delighted that this cooperation between three APPO Member States is perfectly in line with the spirit of the APPO Framework Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance. I do not doubt for a moment your commitment to its successful implementation ”
He further said that the declaration marks a vision for the development of the African energy sector and reassured the parties of the availability of the APPO Secretariat to provide all necessary support for the achievement of the noble objective.
With a total length of 4,128 kilometers, the gas pipeline which will run from Nigeria through Niger to Algeria will supply 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas to the European market per year.
At an estimated cost of over $US 13 billion, the transformational project, according to the Nigerian Minister, Timipre Sylva, will create much-needed jobs and revenue for African gas markets and therefore solicited the support of all stakeholders for it’s actualisation.
The Nigerien Minister of Petroleum, Energy and Renewable Energies, Mahamane Sani Mahamadou, welcomed the signing of the Declaration at ECOMOF2022, stressing that it was an ideal occasion to discuss such a strategic project that brings three countries together.
In a separate session, the Secretary General of APPO, HE Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim and Minister Mahamane Sani Mahamadou reviewed the operations of APPO including the Secretariat’s activity programs for 2022. Special attention was paid to the organization of CAPE VIII in May 2022, in Luanda, Angola. The event was highly recommended for stakeholders in the hydrocarbon sector of Niger as an opportunity for strategic exchange of information with other key players. A gala evening at the event afforded the Secretary General the opportunity to appreciate the High Representative of the Head of State of Niger and former Minister of Petroleum, HE Foumakoye Gado for services to the organization while as President of APPO’s Council of Minister for the 2020 fiscal year.
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