Abundant natural resources are required for economic development. The availability and efficient exploitation of these resources results in expansion of markets and industrialization, which are essential for social and economic progress. The performance of the economy measured by its total output, is dependent on a reliable supply and adequate management of energy.
African has many primary sources of energy, renewable and non-renewable. The non-renewable primary energy resources includes:
Fossil fuel such as coal, Oil and natural gas. These fuels are consumed by final users of energy or used as intermediate Fuel for the generation of secondary fuel such as electricity. The unique characteristics of natural Gas makes it a premium fuel in many applications in the industrial, commercial and domestic sectors. In the last decade, significant progress has been made in gas development and utilization in Nigeria as exemplified by the establishment of some major gas transmission systems and export oriented projects (LNG, NGL).
In the industrial and domestic markets, Gas is gradually becoming an important fuel in the African energy market in particular, Nigeria. African's Gas market is essentially untapped in the domestic sector, Gas market development is highly dependent on power while substantial potential demand exist for non-power sector such as: cement and Fertilizer. Full development of the continent's gas resources will require additional export oriented projects and creating more markets among the industrial and domestic end-users, utilizing natural gas as energy feed stock. This paper gives a general overview of the African gas market, gas development, distribution and utilization in Africa with a special emphasis on Nigeria and the investment opportunities that abound.
The production of energy helps to build a better world by providing more comfort for mankind and making the world a better place to live in. That's why energy must be sought wherever it might be, especially that locked up in hydrocarbon fuels.
Baring any future breakthrough in other forms of energy gas is undoubtedly the fuel of the 21st century. The unique characteristics of natural gas make it a premium fuel/energy source in many applications in the industrial, commercial and domestic sectors. Its purity and freedom from pollution, desirability for electricity generation, heating and use as fuel and industrial feedstock are few of its acclaimed attributes.
Natural gas is becoming the world's fastest growing energy source and nations that are endowed with it are doing everything to ensure its development. Markets around the world are developing rapidly for natural gas often in the form of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas). Japan, is already the world's leading importer of LNG, with 63% of world's import. The United States and Europe, also growing more and more dependent on Natural Gas, rely for the most part, on piped gas rather than LNG, both imported and domestic. It is of course, the far East where most of the international trade in natural gas is focused. As the newly developing nations of South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore and others demand more and more gas to fuel their growth.
