Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Nigeria has sought collaboration with the World Economic Forum, WEF, to drive the country’s economic growth through key projects such as the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, AAGP, and the recharging of Lake Chad.
During a bilateral meeting with WEF President Børge Brende recently in Davos, Vice President Kashim Shettima, highlighted the strategic importance of the AAGP, a pipeline project aimed at connecting Nigeria to Morocco and Europe via other African nations.
The pipeline, Shettima said, would enhance energy security and economic growth across the region, especially given the global demand for energy driven by artificial intelligence and data storage.
He said: “Nigeria is a gas nation more than an oil nation. Gas provides us with the utmost opportunity to generate wealth for our people, addressing both our developmental and economic needs.”
He added that many West African states with gas reserves are eager to plug into the pipeline system, which would also feature an undersea passage for broader integration.
On recharging Lake Chad, Shettima emphasized its potential to address food security, generate clean energy, and combat terrorism in the Sahel region.
“Lake Chad, once 25,000 square kilometers, has shrunk to 2,000 square kilometers. Recharging it from the Congo River Basin could generate hydropower, transform agriculture, and mitigate existential threats like Boko Haram and ISWAP,” he said.
The Vice President also spoke on Nigeria’s ongoing reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, including subsidy removal, exchange rate alignment, and tax reforms, which he described as pivotal to placing Nigeria on a path of sustained economic growth.
He invited the WEF President to visit Nigeria and expressed Nigeria’s readiness to host the WEF Africa summit.
Shettima underscored Nigeria’s position as Africa’s largest economy and most populous black nation, poised for global significance as its population grows to projected heights by 2050.
“We seek collaboration because Nigeria is not just a nation of potential; we are a nation of action,” he concluded.
