Nigeria seals $15 billion oil, gas deal with India

• To raise production to 2.2 mbp NIGERIA has sealed a $15 billion oil and gas investment deal with India.

The negotiated deal would require the Indian government to make an upfront payment for crude purchase to Nigeria, to be repaid on the basis of firm term crude contracts over some years.

In the deal too is consideration for Indian public sector companies collaborating in the refining sector as well as exploration and production activities on a government-to-government basis by Indian public sector companies. Other terms include long-term contracts for the supply of crude to Indian companies from Nigeria and also possibilities of executing infrastructural projects by Indian companies in Nigeria.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, who is currently on a three-day visit to India, concluded talks on the investments in a bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart in charge of petroleum and natural gas, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.

Both ministers noted the existing and significant engagement between the two countries in the hydrocarbon sector, while acknowledging that Nigeria was one of the largest trading partners of India in Africa, which is dominated by import of crude oil and gas from Nigeria.

In 2015-16, India imported nearly 23.7 MMT of crude (nearly 12% of India overall imports) and over 2 MMTPA of LNG from Nigeria.Following this negotiation, the two countries have agreed to work on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate investments by India in the Nigerian oil and gas sector and specifically in areas such as term contract, participation of Indian companies in the refining sector, oil and gas marketing, upstream ventures, the development of gas infrastructure and in the training of oil and gas personnel in Nigeria.

Both ministers also agreed to strengthen the existing cooperation in oil and gas sector, and in particular to explore investment opportunities for Indian public and private sector companies in Nigeria.

On the sidelines of the official visit, the Minister of State had one-on-one meetings with top executives of Indian public sector oil and gas companies and also representatives of some Indian private sector oil and gas companies.