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The pipeline, linking Koulele in Niger to the port of Seme in Benin will produce about 90,000 barrels per day (bpd), something that will transform Niger into a significant regional oil producer
Benin is expected to receive transit duties and tax revenues per quantity of Niger’s oil that is evacuated through port Sémè Kraké in Benin. Niger is a landlocked country. The 1980 km pipeline connects the Agadem oil fields with Seme Kraké port in Benin. Recently, Niger’s oil reportedly gushed out at Sémè Kraké in Benin raising hopes for at least 2,000 jobs across the West African nation.
The project whose construction began in September 2019 has faced several hiccups including delays. It was expected to be in operation last two years. The project entailed a cost of over USD 5 billion. The pipeline, linking Koulele in Niger to the port of Seme in Benin will produce about 90,000 barrels per day (bpd), something that will transform Niger into a significant regional oil producer.
However, that optimism was dampened and remains in doubt after a military coup sacked the democratically elected president Mohammed Bazoum in July last year. The situation in Niger is not very conducive for investments to come.
Benin, a member of the regional bloc ECOWAS, affected the closure of its borders to Niger in enforcement of sanctions against the junta that overthrew Bazoum. But President Patrice Talon has since taken a softer stance on the military junta in Niamey. The Beninese president in December, under ECOWAS provisions, announced the lifting of the suspension of imports of goods transiting to Niger via the autonomous port of Cotonou.
Niger’s junta – officially known as the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) – headed by General Abdourahamane Tchiani has yet to be seen favoring rapprochement with the authorities in Benin. Instead, he has deepened ties with Burkina Faso and Mali, countries with whom he plans to form a joint confederation. Niger currently pumps around 20,000 bpd of oil, most of it from China National Petroleum Corp. projects in the Agadem Rift Basin in the country’s southeast.
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https://trendsnafrica.com/benin-lifts-sanctions-on-niger-trade-and-commerce-to-pick-up/
With the giant oil pipeline via the Sémè Kraké border, the country’s oil production will increase to 110,000 bpd, a lot closer to its official target to increase to 200,000 barrels per day by 2026. The landlocked West African nation is believed to be sitting on a billion barrels of crude reserves, according to the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization.
