Nigeria’s NNPC says a long delayed gas pipeline is finally nearing completion, a step it believes could unlock large scale manufacturing and power generation across the country’s northern region.
After briefing President Bola Tinubu on Sunday, NNPC Ltd Group Chief Executive Bashir Ojulari told reporters that welding work on the main line of the Ajaokuta Kaduna Kano gas pipeline has been completed, including the technically difficult crossing of the River Niger. That section had stalled progress on the project for years.
The milestone brings the 614 kilometer pipeline closer to delivery, with connections expected to begin early next year. Ojulari said the project would allow gas to reach northern Nigeria at commercial scale for the first time, easing long standing energy shortages that have constrained economic activity.
“This will bring gas in its full form into the northern part of Nigeria,” Ojulari said, explaining that industries dependent on reliable energy have struggled to take root in the region.
The 2.8 billion dollar pipeline, commonly known as the AKK project, is a central part of Nigeria’s push to rely more on natural gas for domestic growth rather than exporting raw resources. First proposed in 2008, the line is designed to transport gas from southern production hubs to key cities including Abuja, Kaduna and Kano.
Ojulari said the availability of gas could support fertilizer production, power plants and other gas based businesses, creating clusters of industrial activity. “This is not just about energy,” he said. “It is about industrialisation. Fertiliser plants, power generation and gas based industries in Kaduna, Kano, Abuja and Ajaokuta. We expect to see industrial parks spring up.”
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Analysts have long argued that limited access to energy has held back manufacturing in northern Nigeria, despite its large population and proximity to regional markets.
Ojulari also outlined NNPC’s production outlook following reforms introduced under the Petroleum Industry Act. He said oil output is expected to rise to about 1.8 million barrels per day in 2026, from roughly 1.7 million barrels per day this year, while gas production is set to continue increasing.
He credited the new legal framework for allowing NNPC to operate as a commercial company rather than relying on federal budget allocations, a shift that officials say has improved transparency and financial discipline.
According to Ojulari, President Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s targets of attracting 30 billion dollars in new energy investment by 2030 and lifting oil output to 2 million barrels per day by 2027.
