The Committee of Petroleum Ministers from Nigeria, Ghana, Togo and the Republic of Benin says the activities of vandals in the Niger Delta have cut down the volume of gas supplies in the West African sub-region.
The oil ministers made the remarks on Tuesday at a regional meeting in Abuja to discuss recent developments that have affected the implementation of the West African Gas Pipeline Project.
According to them, attacks on oil installations have impacted negatively on the objectives for embarking on the project.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, lamented that the activities of vandals in the southern region constituted part of the problems that need to be addressed, as it has affected gas supply to members in recent times.
Other members of the committee who spoke in French language also identified non-payment of bills for gas supplied as another challenge to be addressed.
Meanwhile, the Ghanaian Minister of Petroleum, Mr Armah-Koffi Buah, told journalists after the meeting that the recent cut in gas supply has led to loss of jobs among members.
Nigeria is the major supplier of gas in the project which was established during the military era in Nigeria to provide gas to member states including Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic.
The meeting of petroleum ministers from the region was organised to discuss solutions to problems that have affected the implementation of the project.
