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Nigeria to focus on Trans-Saharan gas pipeline project at AU summit

Xinhua, July 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Nigerian government on Monday said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will lead the country's delegation to the 27th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Summit which is scheduled July 10 to July 18, in Kigali, Rwanda.

Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama stated this at a pre-AU session news conference in Abuja, the nation's capital.

The minister said the summit would provide opportunity for critical appraisal of the 20 billion U.S. dollar Nigeria-Algeria Trans-Saharan gas pipeline project under the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).

The project would transport about 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas from the Nigerian city of Warri through Niger to Algeria.

The pipeline would be operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Sonatrach of Algeria.

The two parties will hold 90 percent shares of equities of the project, while the National Oil Company of Niger will hold 10 percent equity.

According to Onyema, the Nigeria-Algeria gas pipeline is a major project of NEPAD that the summit will give attention to this year.

He said the summit with "African Year of Human Right with particular focus on the Rights of Women" as theme would focus on women empowerment, adding that Nigeria was expected to share experience on the efforts on women empowerment.

The minister added that the summit would also focus on the full integration of the continent through the establishment of Free Trade Area and the African Union passport.

He described the adoption of AU's passport, which would be issued to heads of states and governments of the African Union at the summit as a major step toward trade liberalization in Africa. Endit