A major multinational gas pipeline, the West African Gas Pipeline Authority (WAGPA), is working on a broader expansion plan that would see the infrastructure stretch beyond the current four-nation configuration, positioning it as a key player in the regional gas market. 

WAGPA Director-General Chafari Kanya Hanawa said during the recently concluded 2025 West Africa Gas Summit (WAGS) in Accra that the US$ 1 billion infrastructure, transporting natural gas from Nigeria to Benin, Togo, and Ghana, will be more than just a conduit. It will be an anchor for a regional energy economy. 

“We see the WAGP not just as infrastructure but also a strategic asset in our transition toward a gas-powered regional economy,” Hanawa said in a statement reported by Ghana Web, adding that the current framework is just a “launchpad” for broader regional integration. 

She hinted at an elaborate plan to extend WAGPA to landlocked West-African countries as well as coastal markets without mentioning specific countries, emphasizing the need for national strategies aligned with regional ambitions to achieve deeper regional integration in the future. 

West African Gas Pipeline’s focus on expansion comes when African economies are exploring intra-continental energy cooperations and integrations, with the African Continental Free Trade Agreement being one of such efforts. 

WAGP is the first multinational natural gas pipeline system in sub-Saharan Africa. Built under the 2003 treaty between the four countries, the pipeline supplies about 5 billion cubic metres of natural gas from gas-rich Nigeria to downstream markets, supporting 3,000 megawatts of electricity generation. 

Hawana also confirmed that the authority and The Gas Consortium had signed a three-year strategic cooperation partnership to promote public-private partnership and promote the annual summit. 

“This is not just a sponsorship,” she said. “It is a commitment to building a lasting platform for unlocking West Africa’s gas potential.”

The latest summit’s agenda also focused on ways gas infrastructure can spur industrial development and agile regulatory reforms needed to attract investments crucial for the sector’s development and expansion. 

“The goal is not just compliance. The goal is to attract capital, drive down costs and create certainty for investors and end-users – especially in the industrial sector,” Hawana said, adding that “Regionalisation of gas is not a one-off achievement.” Instead, “It’s a process that requires bold thinking and inclusive models.”