Nigeria to construct new oil, gas free zone in Niger Delta

The Niger Delta will be housing a new oil and gas free zone, said Managing Director, Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority, Umana Umana at the weekend.

According to Umana, the promoters of the new free zone, Awaritse Nigeria Limited, is willing and ready to do all it takes to acquire an oil and gas free zone status for the state.

He stated that the promoters of the proposed free zone have expressed readiness to comply with a set of requirements from OGFZA to enable it forward a recommendation to President Muhammadu Buhari for the final approval of an operational license.

Umana said the proposed free zone would be for both upstream and downstream oil and gas industry activities.

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He said the project was a 100 percent Nigerian initiative, expressing hope the Koko Port, located near to the proposed site, would be integrated into the zone as soon as it kick-starts.

Speaking, the Secretary and legal adviser to Awaritse Nigeria board, Desmond Dudu, said the proposed free zone, covers a land area of about 87,044 hectares, with space to accommodate a future expansion by another 80,000 hectares.

When licensed, the project would attract more than $100 million in foreign direct investments in the first instance.

When completed, he said the free zone would generate about 2,170 direct and indirect jobs to Nigerians.

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Acting managing director of Awaritse Nigeria, Emmanuel Ebosa, who led the OGFZA management team on a facility tour of the proposed free zone, showed them round the jetty, tank farm, fabrication yard where a barge was under construction, site for a modular refinery and security infrastructure.

When approved by the President, the proposed free zone would be the fourth to be established by the new management at OGFZA since assumption of office late last year.
Onne is the biggest free zone in the country so far.

Umana said apart from similar zones established in Warri and Brass, the Authority was working on establishing three more in Ibaka, Ibeno and Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom state.
“We are determined to ensure that Nigeria would benefit maximally from free zones as veritable tools to drive economic growth and development in Nigeria,” Umana said.