Niger has large oil reserves (Al Jazeera) (Shutterstock)
Niger, which has been subject to regional sanctions since the July coup, is expected to supply four neighboring countries with diesel, to enable them to meet their energy needs, according to a statement published following a meeting held yesterday, Saturday, in Niamey, by the energy ministers of these countries.
A statement read by Chad's Minister of Energy, Ndulinodji Alex Nyambaye, said that the ministers of these countries "adopted and signed a protocol of agreement on supplying" Niger to Chad, Burkina Faso and Mali with diesel.
The text of the statement also states that there are “discussions” underway to also supply diesel to Togo.
According to the statement, the meeting reflects an intention by these countries to further enhance their cooperation, especially in terms of energy needs.
Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad are governed by military regimes, and all of them, with the exception of Chad, are part of the Sahel States Alliance in preparation for forming a union.
This supply step is the first of its kind concluded between Niger and these four countries.
Since 2011, Niger has been processing about 20,000 barrels per day, especially diesel and gasoline in Zinder in the eastern center of the country.
In early November 2023, Niger put into service a giant oil pipeline to launch the commercial marketing of its crude oil by pumping it from Adagham (south-east) to neighboring Benin.
Investments of $4 billion to develop oil fields (Adagham wells) and $2.3 billion to build the oil pipeline are supposed to raise Niger’s production to 110,000 barrels per day, with 90,000 barrels of it to be exported, according to the government.
On the electricity front, the ministers also adopted a “road map” to implement the “Desert to Power” initiative launched by the African Development Bank, which aims to provide energy to 250 million people in the countries of the coastal sector.
“Desert to Power” is a $20 billion initiative of the African Development Bank that aims to make the Sahel the largest solar energy production area in the world, with a capacity of 10,000 megawatts.
The countries benefiting from this initiative are Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan and Chad.
Figures on Niger's economy
Niger has huge oil reserves, and oil was discovered for the first time in the Tentoma and Agadem fields, and statistics from the international energy company Savna indicate that the field could contain at least one billion barrels of oil.
Most of the oil extracted in Niger is processed at the Suraz refinery. The current production capacity of oil in Niger is 20 thousand barrels per day, and it is mainly sold locally, with some also exported to northern Nigeria.
Most of the identified reserves in Niger are located in the Agadem region, which currently supplies the Soraz refinery with about 15,000 barrels of oil per day.
Some energy companies estimate that there are 3,754 million barrels of oil reserves and 957 million barrels of recoverable oil reserves.
Current gas reserves are estimated at about 34 billion cubic meters, including extractable reserves amounting to 24 billion cubic meters, according to statistics from the Ministry of Minerals in Niger.
Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, facing challenges such as minimal government services, insufficient funds for development, and exposure to recurring climate shocks.
According to World Bank data, Niger’s gross domestic product in 2022 reached about $15.34 billion, and it ranks 133rd in the GDP classification of the 196 countries.
Source: Al Jazeera + French