Nigeria’s $2.8bn AKK Gas Pipeline on Track for 2026 Start, NNPC Announces

The long-awaited $2.8 billion Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) gas pipeline is on track to become operational in early 2026, according to the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Bashir Ojulari.

Ojulari confirmed the timeline after briefing President Bola Tinubu on Sunday, following a recent inspection tour of the project by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, and other NNPC executives.

A major technical milestone has been achieved with the completion of welding for the pipeline’s main line, including the challenging River Niger crossing—a hurdle that had delayed progress for years. “With its completion, we can start making all the connections early next year,” Ojulari stated.

Once activated, the pipeline is designed to transport gas across northern Nigeria, where it is expected to fuel industrialization, boost power generation, and support new gas-based industries.

“This is not just about energy,” Ojulari emphasized. “It’s about industrialisation fertiliser plants, power generation, and gas-based industries in Kaduna, Kano, Abuja and Ajaokuta. We expect to see industrial parks spring up.”

The NNPC chief also outlined broader production targets, projecting oil output to rise to 1.8 million barrels per day in 2026, up from about 1.7 million this year, with gas production also set to increase.

Ojulari credited the Petroleum Industry Act with repositioning NNPC as a commercially driven entity, no longer reliant on federal allocations. He added that President Tinubu reaffirmed goals of attracting $30 billion in investments by 2030 and raising oil production to 2 million barrels per day by 2027.

First conceived in 2008, the AKK pipeline is a cornerstone of Nigeria’s strategy to leverage its gas resources for economic growth, particularly in the north, where energy shortages have long constrained industrial development.