Niger’s Minister of Petroleum, Sahabi Oumarou, welcomed a delegation from Algerian oil company Sonatrach consisting of experts and specialists in refining and petrochemicals. This delegation is on a week-long working visit to Niger to discuss the project aimed at creating a refinery and a petrochemical complex in the city of Dosso, according to a statement released by the group on Thursday.
The project, which is part of the roadmap agreed upon by both parties, encompasses technical and logistical aspects to ensure its success. It includes “the establishment of a refinery with a production capacity of 30,000 barrels per day, expandable to 100,000 barrels per day, as well as a petrochemical complex,” the statement added.
This cooperation aligns with “Algeria’s commitment to assist Niger in transforming its natural resources into opportunities for sustainable development.” During the meeting, Sonatrach’s delegation emphasized that support for “this project materializes the commitment made by the Minister of State, Minister of Energy, Mines, and Renewable Energies, Mohamed Arkab, during the visit of the Nigerien Petroleum Minister last September, wherein Algeria pledged to support Niger in realizing the refinery and petrochemical complex project.”
On this occasion, Sonatrach expressed pride in “contributing to this strategic project, which reflects Algeria’s vision for enhancing South-South cooperation and reinforces its position as a leader in Africa,” the statement continued. It also noted that the meeting facilitated “the presentation of Sonatrach’s expertise to strengthen the capabilities of Nigerien professionals.”
As part of this initiative, a group of Nigerien engineers and technicians will be hosted in Algerian refineries to receive specialized training under the supervision of experts from the Algerian Institute of Petroleum (IAP), which is affiliated with Sonatrach, the same source reported.
For his part, the Nigerien minister remarked that this project “represents a crucial step towards achieving energy sovereignty and serves as an essential foundation for Niger’s economic transition, as it contributes to meeting national needs, creating jobs, enhancing local content, and attracting investments,” the document specified.
In receiving the Sonatrach delegation, the Nigerien minister expressed gratitude to Algeria and the Sonatrach group, which serve as a model and strategic partner for Niger, for their support in this initiative. (APS)
