WAPCo, a safe, responsible and reliable natural gas transmission company presented to Togolese journalists

 

WAPCo is the fruit of the vision and leadership of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, who understood early on in the 1980s that there could be no development without gas, and decided to source natural gas from Nigeria to meet their energy needs. In 2011, this was to become a reality, with Ghana being supplied via Benin and Togo with gas produced in Nigeria and operated by the West African gas pipeline company limited (WAPCo). In order to shed light on this gas-producing company, which serves the four countries of the sub-region (Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana), its managers met with Togolese press professionals in Lomé on December 5, 2023.

The aim of the meeting was not only to introduce the company to the Togolese people through the media, but also to explore possible avenues of collaboration between the two entities.

From the outset, the company’s Director of Corporate Affairs and spokesman for the WAPCo group, Dr Isaac Adjei Doku, surrounded by his colleagues, expressed his delight at getting to know the Togolese press and welcomed the meeting. “These kinds of meetings are very important and involve all of us, because we all know what we expect from each other”, said Dr. Adjei Doku at the start of his remarks, before going on to say that for the media, they now have contacts with whom they can verify information.

 

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA’S FIRST GAS PIPELINE

 

He then presented his company to the media. Following viability studies for the pipeline project carried out by the World Bank, the signing in 2003 of the Treaty for the Harmonization, Transport and Export of Gas between Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana and WAPCo launched the interconnection of the four countries. Produced in Nigeria, WAPCo began reverse flow gas transport to Ghana before the latter country also discovered its oil field. To maintain gas pressure, regulation and pumping stations have been set up in Cotonou, Lomé and Tema.

“WAPCo is an international company that transports natural gas to Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana in a safe, responsible and reliable manner to create value for our various stakeholders. We place the highest priority on the health and safety of people, and the protection of our assets and the environment,” explained Dr Adjei Doku.

The first gas pipeline of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa, the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) plans to connect to the Ivorian network before moving onshore to Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.

A public-private partnership, WAPCo is a limited liability company that owns and operates the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP). Its shares are held by Chevron West African Gas Pipeline Ltd (36.9%); Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (27.9%); Shell Overseas Holdings Limited (17.9%); and Takoradi Power Company Limited (16.3%). Togo and Benin get the lion’s share, managed respectively by ‘Société Togolaise de Gaz’ (2%) and ‘Société BenGaz SA (2%).

Headquartered in Accra, WAPCo operates from 7 sites across Nigeria, Benin and Togo. It employs over 200 people in 4 countries.

In Lomé, the regulating and metering station located in the port area, opposite the T-Oil filling station, at Gbetsogbe on Route Nationale N°2, redistributes natural gas from Nigeria to Lomé, with an exit capacity of 57 mmscf/d from the station. WAPCo’s main gas buyers are CEB, Contour Global and Kékéli. With a view to extending its coverage of the country, the company is prospecting for new companies, notably PIA, as gas is currently the cheapest and cleanest fuel for power generation.

 

A COMPANY WELL INTEGRATED INTO ITS COMMUNITIES

 

WAPCo is well integrated into the communities in which it operates, and respects its social responsibility.  Each year, in its host communities in Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria, as part of its community livelihood support program, WAPCo awards over 500 scholarships to bright young people to enable them to continue their studies or move into the profession of their choice.

In Togo, it has set up a brand-new, modern clinic equipped with state-of-the-art equipment in the community of Gbetsogbe. It has also built schools, water supply and sanitation systems, etc. In the medical field, the company provides annual eye care: screening, identification of vulnerable people suffering from serious eye disorders/diseases and distribution of medicines, lenses, frames and drugs.

 

 

Yaovi AGBEGNIGAN

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