Niger envisions new era of development as its first oil export arrives in Benin

First Nigerian oil has arrived at the Beninese oil terminal of Sémè Kraké using the Niger-Benin pipeline, with experts hailing the launch of this platform because it signifies Niger’s emergence as a key player in Africa’s oil sector.
The recent inauguration of the oil export platform in the town on the border between Benin and Niger was highlighted by Fatshimetrie, an online news site focusing on major economic and geopolitical events in Africa, as “a significant milestone in Niger’s economic history”. The completion of the groundbreaking pipeline project connecting the Agadem oil fields in Niger to the Sémè Kraké terminal station in Benin, which required a $5 billion investment and two years of construction, has paved the way for the flow of oil to begin. With an estimated capacity of 110,000 barrels per day (b/d), this development not only benefits Niger but also offers economic opportunities for Benin, which should see at least 2,000 new jobs created and will also receive transit duties and tax revenues from the oil passing through its territory via the pipeline.
In fact, the pipeline is expected to boost Niger’s crude production fivefold, transforming the West African country into a major exporter. As a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc, which placed sanctions on Niger, Benin was earlier not allowed to import important equipment across the border between the two countries. But the relaxation of sanctions on junta-led Niger by the ECOWAS in February allowed China National Petroleum Corporation to complete construction of the 2,000 km pipeline and crude is now flowing through the conduit. Industry sources said the pipeline will commence operations at 90,000 b/d before gradually increasing to its full capacity of 110,000 b/d.