Consistent with the FGN’s focus towards ensuring that gas significantly contributes to industrialization of the Nation, the Honourable Minster of State for Petroleum Resources, His Excellency, Chief Timipre Sylva, declared 2020-2030 as the Decade of Gas. The above declaration is part of the deliberate efforts to ensure Nigeria optimises its vast Gas resource to stimulate economic development. GACN has identified Kano State as a regional Gas hub and accordingly, has chosen the state as the host for the upcoming 2021 Stakeholders Forum (AKK Forum), with the Theme “Optimizing the economic development capacity of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline project.It is in this regard that GACN organised a gas sector opportunities meeting with the transporters and manufacturers/Industrialists in kano state on Thursday, 1st July 2021which culminated in an engagment session with members of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) & National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and another session with Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) wherein Gas Sector participants/stakeholders discussed the prospects of converting from alternate fuels to natural gas as an industrial fuel or transportation fuel.
As part of the discussion,the managing director and Chief Executive Officer of GACN, Mr Olalekan Ogunleye, assured the investors that GACN has come up with a flexible scheme for conversion of vehicles and industries which is a bonus to the vehicle owners because there will be a potential 30% decrease in overall operational cost. He notified them of numerous companies that deal with conversion, like Borkir, the Dangote subsidiary who have converted over 5,000 vehicles and intent to make it on commercial scale, while Greenville have a plan to convert 1,000 vehicles in the immediate term. Mr Olalekan Ogunleye also explained further by assuring them that Gas is cleaner and more efficient than any alternative fuel. The Executive Chairman of AKK Pipeline Project Delivery & Industrialization Committee, Kano State, Engr. Mu’azu Magaji informed the participants that the kano state government has provided 1,000 hectares of land for a new industrial city in Tamburawa, Kano which is designated to be the 5th industrial estate in kano.
In conclusion, the stakeholders appreciated and expressed their support for GACN and the AKK forum.
