As Europe seeks to wean itself off Russian natural gas, Algeria, Niger, and Nigeria have revived a decades-old, multi-billion-dollar gas project. The Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) could send up to 30 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Nigeria to Algeria, and on to Europe. Analysts have noted that the project faces many challenges, writes Timothy Obiezu for VOA.

Nigeria’s petroleum minister, Timipre Sylva, said funding for the project will come from Europe and that authorities are already holding talks with European firms and countries.

President Muhammadu Buhari, in a statement issued in Lisbon, said Nigeria is ready to fill the natural gas gaps in Europe predicated by the current Russian-Ukrainian war.

Buhari said with over 200 million, mainly young people, Nigeria is ready to be the hub of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA). Buhari urged Portugal to consider Nigeria as a valued and trusted partner in Africa.

Experts expect Europe to ramp up investments into Africa’s natural gas sector to shock-absorb its economy from the unfolding crisis in Ukraine and the potential for energy supplies disruption in the future.