The founder and Executive Chairman, Centurion Law Group, NJ Ayuk, has disclosed that alot of African’s existing gas production fields are dwindling down.
At the African Energy Chamber’s The State of African Energy 2024 Report, Ayuk stated that the continent’s gas production fields are quickly reaching the end of their productive lives.
The AEC chairman called on governments in Africa to put their gas resources into use, stating that failure to do so might leave over 600 million Africans struggling with energy poverty.
Ayuk revealed that for Africa to move forward and develop its natural gas output from 268 billion cubic metres, gas manufacturers must continue to pump from existing fields while countries with discoveries must take undeveloped projects to the final investment decision stage as quickly as possible.
Giving his opinion for the urgency, he noted “Many of Africa’s existing gas production fields, particularly those in the north and west, are maturing or in decline, meaning they are quickly reaching the end of their productive lives.”
Nigeria, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea currently account for 85 per cent of the total gas output from the West Africa region until 2025 next year. He said.
“After that, (gas) levels will gradually decline to 75 per cent by 2030; 70 per cent by 2035, and 60 per cent by 2040. Although these fields are considered crucial for sustained production, the need for new projects to come online is critical to prevent a stall in output,” he stated.
Expressing hope that many major new gas finds had been declared in current years in Senegal, Mauritania, Angola, Ghana, South Africa, Namibia, and the Ivory Coast.
“These new gas discoveries will remain dormant potential unless African governments and gas producers come together quickly to forge realistic actionable plans to capitalise on these vast new resources”.
He further said that Nigeria had planned to increase its LNG infrastructure capacity from the existing 22 million metric tonnes per annum to 30mmtpa via the Nigeria LNG Train 7 development.
“African governments must do all they can to eliminate any restrictive red tape to ensure speedy turnarounds between hydrocarbon discoveries and FID. Otherwise, their countries will miss out on the major benefits their vast natural gas resources offer.
“Despite living on a continent with an abundance of untapped natural gas resources, energy poverty is a daily reality for over 600 million Africans. By harnessing our vast hydrocarbon resources, it’s possible to transform the quality of these people’s lives, industrialise their economies, build gas-to-power plants, create jobs, and provide energy for clean cooking.” Ayuk remarked.
He encouraged African leaders to do the right thing for their people, saying, “Utilize the unique and lucrative opportunities natural gas offers, monetize your gas, grow your economies, and allow your people have access to energy and a decent standard of living.”
