Mahamane Lamine Zeine, Prime Minister of the Republic of Niger, has joined the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies 2025 conference as a speaker. During the event – which takes place September 29 to October 3 in Cape Town – Zeine is expected to share insight into the country’s oil and gas projects, detailing initiatives being implemented to increase production and crude exports.
As the largest event of its kind in Africa, AEW: Invest in African Energies represents a strategic platform for African countries to not only promote their respective energy opportunities but foster cross-border collaboration and regional ties. Niger has been leveraging regional relations in recent months to advance oil exports, with infrastructure projects such as the Niger-Benin pipeline. The 100,000 barrel-per-day pipeline started operations in 2024, with oil successfully reaching the town of Sémè Kraké in Benin. The pipeline spans 1,950km and connects Niger’s Agadem oilfields to the Atlantic Ocean. During AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025, Zeine is expected to highlight the impact of the pipeline and how the project will support future oil and gas developments by providing a direct route to export markets.
AEW: Invest in African Energies is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit http://www.aecweek.com for more information about this exciting event.
With the start of operations of the Niger-Benin pipeline, Niger is well-positioned to increase crude production. The country is currently promoting new investments in exploration blocks, with several milestones achieved in several months. Algeria’s national oil company (NOC) Sonatrach – in partnership with Niger’s NOC Sonidep – announced plans to revive exploration activities in the country. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2024, committing to exploring opportunities for cooperation. The agreement paves the way for the companies to form partnerships in exploration, production, refining, petrochemicals and petroleum product distribution. Sonatrach is currently engaged in the country’s Kafra block in northern Niger. The block has featured two exploration wells – KFR-1 and KFRN-1 -, with the discovery of 168 million barrels and 100 million barrels of proven and probably oil reserves, respectively.
Sonatrach is also looking at constructing a refinery and petrochemical complex in Dosso, situated in southwestern Niger. The refinery will have an initial capacity of 30,000 bpd, with potential expansion to 100,000 bpd. Following its completion, the refinery is expected to offer low-cost fuel products for the domestic market. Meanwhile, under the terms of a signed agreement, Sonatrach will provide specialized training program for Nigerien engineers and technicians at Algerian refineries, supporting skills development in Niger.
Niger currently produces approximately 20,000 bpd of crude from the Agadem Rift Basin. In 2024, China National Petroleum Corporation signed a deal worth $400 million for the sale of crude from the Agadem oilfield. This signals new opportunities for crude exports and comes as players in the country make strides towards increasing production. Notably, oil and gas company Savannah Energy is a key player in Niger’s hydrocarbon sector. The company plans to increase production to 5,000 bpd through the development of recently-discovered oil blocks. Savannah’s hydrocarbon license interests cover approximately 13,655 km² – representing 50% of the country’s main petroleum basin, the Agadem Rift Basin. The company has identified 35 million barrels of gross 2C resources across its R3 East discoveries, with an additional 90 million barrels of gross unrisked prospective resources identified from five prospects and leads within tie-in distance to the planned R3 East facilities. With five wells drilled and five discoveries to date, Savannah Energy has witnessed significant success in Niger.
“Niger has significant potential to become a major crude exporter, with projects such as the Niger-Benin pipeline poised to play an instrumental part in getting Nigerien crude to global markets. To unlock the true potential of this project, Niger requires significant investment across the upstream sector. Insights shared at AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025 will support future deal-signing and exploration,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber.
