Algeria and Niger have taken steps to revive suspended energy cooperation, holding talks focused on major hydrocarbons projects, including the $13 billion Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP).
Algerian Minister of State for Hydrocarbons and Mines Mohamed Arkab led a high-level delegation to Niamey on Tuesday, where he held discussions with Niger’s Minister of Petroleum, Hamad Tinni.
According to Algerian officials, the meetings centred on restarting stalled joint projects and strengthening bilateral collaboration in the energy sector. Among the initiatives reviewed was the Kafra oil block in northern Niger, operated by Algeria’s national oil company, SONATRACH, and believed to contain more than 260 million barrels of recoverable crude oil.
The talks also covered technical cooperation, workforce training, skills development and greater coordination between state-owned energy enterprises in both countries.
A key focus was the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, a 4,128-kilometre infrastructure project intended to carry up to 30 billion cubic metres of Nigerian natural gas each year through Niger to Algeria, from where it would be exported to Europe via the Mediterranean.
The pipeline has been promoted as a strategic project capable of enhancing regional energy integration while expanding gas export capacity across West and North Africa.
Arkab’s visit represents a diplomatic reset between the two countries and is the first official visit by a senior Algerian figure since bilateral relations were strained in April 2025. Cooperation was suspended following tensions between Algeria and the Alliance of Sahel States, a regional bloc that includes Niger.
