Algerian oil company Sonatrach Group and the Nigerien company SONIDEP have agreed to utilize Sonatrach’s expertise to assist with the development of a refinery and petrochemical complex in Dosso, located in southwestern Niger, according to a public statement released on Wednesday.
“Following a week of intensive work and thorough discussions with the Nigerien side, the visit by the Sonatrach delegation to Niamey culminated in the signing of the meeting minutes between Sonatrach and SONIDEP, with representatives from the Nigerien Ministry of Petroleum present,” the statement noted. It further mentioned that “during this meeting, it was decided to establish two sub-committees aimed at supporting Niger in the launch of the refinery and petrochemical complex project in Dosso.”
The meeting, held last Monday, included attendance by Niger’s Minister of Petroleum, Sahabi Oumarou, and Algeria’s Ambassador to Niamey, Ahmed Saadi.
The minutes outline the creation of one sub-committee focused on refining and petrochemicals and another responsible for project management, procurement processes, and legal frameworks. According to the announcement, “this technical assistance provided by Sonatrach to the Nigerien side represents a vital step toward developing the oil and petrochemical sector in Niger.”
During this occasion, Ramdane Ayache, a representative of Sonatrach, emphasized “the importance of forming a working team for this project, which will undergo theoretical training at the Algerian Institute of Petroleum (IAP), part of the public group, to prepare for various project management scenarios.”
He also underscored the necessity to “establish a legal framework for contract preparation,” as stated in the announcement.
Colonel Ali Seibou Hassane, General Director of SONIDEP, praised this collaboration, highlighting its benefits for the Nigerien company, which he described as a “young enterprise compared to Sonatrach’s extensive experience.” He added that “Sonatrach is expected to expedite the achievement of the project’s objectives.”
“The expertise of Sonatrach will facilitate the acceleration of local capacity development,” he stated.
In turn, the Nigerien Minister of Petroleum expressed gratitude to Algeria and the Sonatrach experts for the quality of the discussions, commending the close cooperation between both countries.
“The technical support provided by Sonatrach will help overcome and avoid obstacles, especially since the project is still in its initial phase,” he added.
The minister also highlighted the Algerian side’s support for training the project team at IAP regarding procurement processes, the source concluded.
