The Emerging Role of Natural Gas on the African Economy: The Case Study of the Nigerian Gas Industry

摘要

Abundant natural resources are required for economicdevelopment. The availability and efficient exploitation ofthese resources results in expansion of markets andindustrialization, which are essential for social andeconomic progress. The performance of the economymeasured by its total output, is dependent on a reliablesupply and adequate management of energy.African has many primary sources of energy,renewable and non-renewable. The non-renewableprimary energy resources includes:Fossil fuel such as coal, Oil and natural gas. Thesefuels are consumed by final users of energy or used asintermediate Fuel for the generation of secondary fuel such as electricity. The unique characteristics of naturalGas makes it a premium fuel in many applications in theindustrial, commercial and domestic sectors. In the lastdecade, significant progress has been made in gasdevelopment and utilization in Nigeria as exemplified bythe establishment of some major gas transmissionsystems and export oriented projects (LNG, NGL).In the industrial and domestic markets, Gas isgradually becoming an important fuel in the Africanenergy market in particular, Nigeria. African’s Gasmarket is essentially untapped in the domestic sector,Gas market development is highly dependent on powerwhile substantial potential demand exist for non-powersector such as: cement and Fertilizer. Full developmentof the continent’s gas resources will require additional