Chinese contractor employs 2,599 Nigerians for Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline project
By Innocent Raphael
The Chinese contractor responsible for segment 2 of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline project, Brentex CPP, has employed 2,599 Nigerians across various fields to ensure the project’s completion by the first quarter of 2025.
This was disclosed by Howard Wang, Chairman of the group, during a tour of the project site in Kaduna over the weekend.
Wang detailed that 1,925 skilled and semi-skilled Nigerian workers have been directly employed for the project. Also, the company has recruited, trained, certified, and engaged 674 Nigerians in 29 different fields of Oil and Gas Pipeline construction, including 339 individuals from local communities.
The site tour included three cabinet ministers: Finance Minister Wale Edun, Information and National Orientation Minister Mohammed Idris Malagi, and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) Ekperikpe Ekpo.
They inspected the River Kaduna crossing milestone alongside the Group CEO of NNPC Ltd., Mele Kyari.
Wang highlighted that Brentex CPP has successfully engaged over 61 local sub-contractors and is committed to completing the project on schedule despite challenges such as insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic.
He stated, “The achievements so far include the completion of 98.54% of linear construction works within three years, 100% HDD crossing for Shika River in Kaduna State, and Hadejia River in Kano State, and more than 51% completion for the Kaduna HDD River crossing.”
Furthermore, Wang reported that the project has recorded 11.2 million man-hours with only one Lost Time Incident (LTI) occurring in March 2024.
He expressed gratitude to the Nigerian government and NNPCL for their trust in awarding the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction contract to the Brentex CPP consortium.
The AKK Gas Pipeline project, spanning 318.6 km from Sarkin Pawa in Niger State to Kano, has benefited significantly from the collaboration between the Chinese government-owned company and the Nigerian private sector.
Despite facing global challenges such as adverse weather conditions, the COVID-19 pandemic, insecurity, and price escalations, Wang affirmed the consortium’s resilience and determination to deliver the project successfully.
