WINDHOEK, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Namibia on Wednesday launched a petroleum storage and regional pipeline project in Walvis Bay on the country's west coast, with an estimated investment of 2.5 billion U.S. dollars, seeking to strengthen fuel security and improve supplies to neighboring countries.
Speaking at the ceremony, Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said the investment would expand the country's petroleum storage capacity and help secure fuel supplies for Namibia and landlocked countries in the region amid disruptions to international oil markets caused by geopolitical tensions and vulnerable shipping routes.
She said Namibia's strategic location, particularly the Port of Walvis Bay and its established transport corridors, offered important advantages for regional petroleum distribution and trade.
The Dangote Namibia Tank Farm and Regional Pipeline Project will include a storage facility with a planned capacity of 600 million liters, comprising 360 million liters of diesel and 240 million liters of petrol, said Aliko Dangote, president and chief executive of Nigerian conglomerate Dangote Group, at the launch ceremony.
Beyond the storage facility, the investment envisages a regional pipeline network spanning approximately 1,700 km to connect Walvis Bay with inland markets in Southern Africa.
Meanwhile, Nandi-Ndaitwah called for Namibians to be given priority in employment opportunities arising from the project, followed by other Africans.
According to Dangote, the proposed pipeline will extend from Walvis Bay towards Otjiwarongo, with connections northwards towards Rundu and eastwards towards Ghanzi and Francistown in Botswana.
The wider distribution network is intended to serve Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Namibia has been seeking to expand trade and investment cooperation with Nigeria, building on longstanding ties rooted partly in Nigeria's support for its liberation struggle. ■