WAGP Ministers Request ECOWAS Travel Treaty Amid Nigeria’s 68% Gas Supply

Ministers from the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) Committee have requested ECOWAS support for implementing the Travel Treaty to enable free movement of WAGP Authority officials, as Nigeria continues to supply over 68 per cent of the pipeline’s total gas volume.

Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) and Nigeria’s minister of state for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, who made this call, said the treaty would address the operational needs for the pipeline, which has transported 613,728,106 million British thermal units (MMBtu) cumulatively since full operations began 15 years ago.

Speaking at the Committee of Ministers meeting for the WAGP in Abuja, on Friday, Ekpo, declared the Nigeria’s unwavering support for the WAGP project, highlighting its role as a cornerstone of regional energy security and economic integration.

Ekpo noted that Nigeria supplies over 68 per cent of the gas volume to Benin, Togo, and Ghana. In 2025, annual transport hit 80,023,582 MMBtu—a 22 per cent rise from 2024—supported by Ghana’s reverse flow from Takoradi to Tema.

“These are not just numbers for our records,” Ekpo stated. “There is evidence that the WAGP is working, that regional cooperation in the energy sector can produce concrete outcomes, and that shared infrastructure remains one of the strongest foundations for regional integration, industrial development, and energy security.”

For Nigeria, the founding state and primary supplier, the pipeline transcends infrastructure—serving as a “practical instrument of regional solidarity” and a channel for shared prosperity.

Launched under ECOWAS Energy Policy to foster regional integration per Article 28 of the revised Treaty, WAGP delivers gas to power generators and industries.

Ekpo reaffirmed Nigeria’s push to amend the WAGP Act in the National Assembly, aligning domestic laws with treaty obligations to ensure reliability and sustainability.

As the new Chairperson of the Committee, Ekpo urged stronger coordination among state parties, support for the WAGP Authority’s mandate, and ECOWAS collaboration on issues like free movement for authority officials.

He emphasised harmonising legal frameworks, regulatory regimes, and institutional mechanisms to sustain gains and drive growth.
Ekpo noted ECOWAS’s foundational role since 2003, urging collaboration to sustain the project.

The meeting follows an online session in Accra, Ghana, on April 29, 2025, presided over by Togo’s Deputy Minister.
He expressed optimism for “fruitful, forward-looking” deliberations to consolidate achievements and advance ECOWAS ideals of energy cooperation and economic development.