WAPCo Seeks End to $50m Unpaid Invoices As Gas Supplies Save $3bn On Power Generation Costs

The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) has urged member states to resolve the over $50 million in unpaid invoices, warning that delays threaten the pipeline’s future even as it delivers massive savings on power costs.

In his address to the WAGP Committee of Ministers, the managing director of WAPCo, Abiodun Bodunrin noted that unsecured overdue payments exceeding $50 million as of March 30, 2026 has a threat to contract reliability, investor confidence, and the regional gas market’s long-term health.

Speaking in Abuja on Friday, Bodunrin called for swift action on payments, offtake deals, and amendments to boost utilisation and regional energy ties.
“Collaboration over division will unlock WAGP’s full potential,” he said.

He highlighted the economic impact of the company noting that gas supplies via WAGP to Ghana alone saved about $3 billion in power generation costs from 2011 to 2025 compared to liquid fuels, with 2025 deliveries rising by 23 per cent year-on-year.
He further noted that over 14 years, the infrastructure has fueled power growth, industry, and trade across Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

Bodunrin commended WAPCo’s operations of 99 per cent reliability in 2025, over 12 years without worker injuries, and full regulatory compliance.

The company said it is now targeting a 45 per cent capacity increase—adding 100 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) in 2026—via upgrades in Nigeria, new supply deals, and markets in Tema, Lomé, and Cotonou.
The MD stated that WAPCo plans to lift pipeline utilisation by 100 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) in 2026—a 45 per cent increase from 2024 levels—through transmission enhancements in Nigeria, ongoing gas supply negotiations, and firm offtake and transportation commitments.
According to him, emerging markets in Tema (Ghana), Lomé (Togo), and Cotonou (Benin) offer immediate upside, with longer-term links to the Africa Atlantic Gas Pipeline initiative.

Bodunrin outlined three priorities: securing gas offtake and gas transportation agreements (GTAs), enforcing timely payments with guarantees, and fast-tracking fiscal amendments. Progress varies—Benin has enacted its updated bill into law, Togo has Senate approval pending presidential assent, Nigeria’s draft bill advances through the National Assembly, while Ghana has made limited headway.

He urged the Committee to foster collaboration among governments, regulators, suppliers, and off-takers.

“This Committee’s role is vital in building a sustainable cross-border gas framework,” Bodunrin said.
“The WAGP is more than infrastructure—it’s about West African nations choosing collaboration for shared advancement over short-term divides.”

With demand clear, the challenge, he said, is alignment: infrastructural readiness, supply security, customer commitments, and payment discipline.