GasSync Limited and NNPC Gas Marketing Limited have formally signed an investment agreement to develop a $100 million, 400-kilometre gas distribution pipeline spanning Nigeria's five South-East states — Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Abia, and Ebonyi. The signing took place at the South-East Gas Infrastructure Investment and Project Development Ceremony in Enugu, marking the project's transition from planning into active investment and development phase.
The pipeline is designed to transport approximately 254 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day, supplying commercial and industrial hubs including Aba, Nnewi, and Onitsha. Around 150 identified offtakers are earmarked to receive gas, spanning power plants, agro-processors, and major manufacturers such as Geometric Power. The core rationale is to displace diesel generation, which President Bola Tinubu — represented at the ceremony by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu — described as an unsustainable cost burden on regional industry. "Businesses should not spend more on generating electricity than on expanding their operations," Tinubu stated.
To reduce the risk of phased construction delays across five states, project promoter Callistus Mba confirmed that civil works will begin simultaneously at two anchor hubs: Ohaji in Imo State and Onitsha in Anambra State. This parallel construction approach is intended to compress the delivery timeline and signal momentum to investors and offtakers across the corridor. The South-East Development Commission (SEDC) has committed an initial $3 million to the project, with SEDC Managing Director Mark Okoye targeting up to $30 million in total regional capital by leveraging contributions from state governments, financial institutions, and private investors. Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah indicated that South-East governors would work to streamline permitting and right-of-way processes to support execution.
The $100 million headline figure and the $30 million SEDC-catalysed capital target suggest a blended public-private financing structure still being assembled. The instrument at this stage is a signed investment agreement — a meaningful step beyond an MoU, but short of a fully funded, contractor-procuring project. No EPC or construction contracts have been announced, and the full financing stack has not been closed. Norwegian service companies should treat this as a project entering its pre-FEED and financing consolidation window, rather than an active procurement cycle.