les mythes du gazoduc de l'afrique de l'ouest

The report argues that the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP), a 681 km project involving Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and Ghana, fails to deliver its promised benefits. It contends that the project does not promote genuine regional integration, may increase energy costs for Ghana, and is unlikely to significantly reduce gas flaring in Nigeria. The document highlights concerns over the project's legal structure in Bermuda, the lack of environmental impact studies for the Escravos pipeline, and the continued reliance on fossil fuels.

• The West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) is unlikely to promote genuine regional integration because it relies on resources from the conflict-ridden Niger Delta and is managed by WAPCo, a company registered in Bermuda rather than in any of the four participating West African nations. This legal structure means the consortium is "légalement non responsable devant les populations" and has explicitly stated it will not be responsible for indirect impacts, including human rights violations.
• The claim that the pipeline will provide cheap energy to Ghana is contested by the Ghana Energy Commission, which suggests the project may not be economically viable. The agreement forces Ghana to buy gas at a fixed price for 20 years, and the country must pay approximately $88 million annually for transport services under a "take or pay" arrangement, even if supply fails.
• The project is unlikely to significantly end gas flaring in Nigeria. The World Bank admits the WAGP will only represent a "petite fraction de la réduction du torchage de gaz" compared to the 43 million tonnes flared annually. Furthermore, the pipeline will transport a mix of associated and non-associated gas, and there is no clear plan from sponsors like Chevron Texaco and Shell to reduce flaring in the Niger Delta.
• The WAGP does not qualify as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project under the Kyoto Protocol because the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions would not be "additional." Since gas flaring has been prohibited by Nigerian law since January 1, 1984, the project simply represents compliance with existing law rather than an additional environmental benefit.
• The project relies on the existing Escravos-Lagos pipeline, which was built over 20 years ago without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The report notes there is currently no commitment to conduct such a study, which could lead to further instability and environmental damage in the Niger Delta.

APA

Stoyanova, D., Bassey, N., Anderson, T., & Bruil, J. (2006). les mythes du gazoduc de l'afrique de l'ouest. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/wagp-fr.pdf

Chicago

Stoyanova, Desislava, Nnimmo Bassey, Theo Anderson, and Janneke Bruil. les mythes du gazoduc de l'afrique de l'ouest. Friends of the Earth International, 2006. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/wagp-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Stoyanova |first1=Desislava |last2=Bassey |first2=Nnimmo |last3=Anderson |first3=Theo |last4=Bruil |first4=Janneke |title=les mythes du gazoduc de l'afrique de l'ouest |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=January 2006 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/wagp-fr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stoyanova2006les, author = {Stoyanova, Desislava and Bassey, Nnimmo and Anderson, Theo and Bruil, Janneke}, title = {{les mythes du gazoduc de l'afrique de l'ouest}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2006}, month = jan, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/wagp-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }