By Edward Wabundani
Barrister Chafari Kanya Hanawa is a figure defined by professional resilience and deep expertise.
She is a recipient of the GOVERNANCE TODAY NIGERIA HALL OF FAME AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PUBLIC SERVICE. The award is for exceptional leadership, accountability, and contributions to public service as Director General of WAGPA, specifically GTN.
Hailing from Garaha in Adamawa State, the seasoned lawyer and turn-around expert has built a formidable career on a foundation of academic excellence, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Maiduguri and a Master’s Degree in Oil & Gas Law & Management from Robert Gordon University in the UK. Her professional ascent began in 1989 at the Federal Ministry of Justice, eventually leading her to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources as an Assistant Legal Adviser. In 2022, after years of representing Nigeria at the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) Authority, she surpassed 35 candidates from four nations to be appointed Director General, tasked with regulating the 678-kilometer pipeline that connects the region’s energy markets.
In her role as the head of this multi-national regulatory body, Barr. Hanawa envisions the Authority as the engine for ECOWAS regional integration. Her mission is clear: to establish natural gas as the reliable, affordable backbone of West Africa’s power and industrial sectors. She describes a strategy built on three pillars—fostering a sustainable regulatory framework, ensuring cross-border coordination to create value, and maintaining disciplined execution in maintenance and market development. When these priorities align, she argues, the region sees the tangible results of energy cooperation through lower tariffs, fewer power outages, and job creation.
For the member states—Benin, Ghana, Togo, and Nigeria—the Director General positions WAGPA as the impartial “referee” that keeps the game fair. The Authority enforces rules ensuring safe operations, transparent tariffs, and non-discriminatory access. This regulation is critical, as natural gas transported through the WAGP is a lifeline for electricity generation. Since operations commenced in 2011, over 361 million MMBTu of gas has been transported, with Benin and Togo relying on Nigerian gas to power nearly 100% of their locally installed generation capacity.
The economic impact of this cooperation has been substantial. Barr. Hanawa highlights that the pipeline has not only displaced high-cost, high-emission fuels but has also generated significant financial returns. Since 2011, Nigeria has earned export revenue in excess of US1.07 billion through the WAGP. Simultaneously, buyer countries have realized massive savings on their energy budgets, with Ghana saving US1.46 billion, Benin US111 million, and Togo US102 million. Furthermore, in 2024 alone, the pipeline operator, WAPCo, paid over US$7.2 million in interim income tax to the four state parties.
However, regulating a cross-border pipeline is not without its hurdles. Barr. Hanawa identifies “supply variability” as a primary challenge, noting that upstream disruptions in Nigeria can ripple across the region, shaking end-user confidence. To mitigate this, the Authority manages firm capacity obligations and contingency planning, including reverse-flow capabilities from Ghana. She credits the Committee of Ministers for providing the necessary political support to overcome these operational obstacles.
The second major challenge is “governance complexity,” involving four distinct legal systems governing one pipeline. To address this, WAGPA relies on a harmonised legal framework established by the 2003 WAGP Treaty. This framework, alongside the International Project Agreement (IPA) signed with WAPCo, provides the commercial and fiscal stability required for long-term investment. Barr. Hanawa emphasises that public-private partnerships succeed only when risk is allocated to the party best suited to manage it, ensuring contracts remain stable despite evolving business environments.
Looking beyond the current network, the Authority is eyeing ambitious expansion. While the pipeline currently runs from Nigeria through Benin and Togo to Ghana, plans are underway for the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP). This massive project merges the earlier WAGP Extension Project with the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline initiative. The AAGP aims to leverage the existing infrastructure to extend the network to other African nations, including Mauritania and Morocco, with WAGPA playing a central regulatory role in this continental integration.
Closer to home, the Authority is focused on five key workstreams for the coming years, including service continuity, tariff modernization, and regulatory upgrades. A critical goal is to amend the WAGP Act to allow the institution to license shippers directly, a function not possible under the current framework. Additionally, Barr. Hanawa notes that while the current system capacity is 170 MMscf/d, it can be scaled up to 460 MMscf/d with appropriate investment, provided there is solid demand expression from the market.
Engagement with stakeholders remains a priority for the DG, who views WAGPA as both a regulator and a convenor. The Authority maintains structured interfaces with ECOWAS commissions, ministries, and operators, ensuring that monitoring is fact-based and data-driven. By relying on the WAGP Treaty and regulations when challenges arise, the Authority ensures that regional cooperation remains credible and viable, supporting ECOWAS’s broader goals of poverty reduction and economic integration.
Despite the technical complexities of her role, Barr. Hanawa remains deeply committed to the human impact of her work. She wants the people of West Africa to know that the Authority is working quietly and safely to ensure the power is there when they switch it on. She promises transparency regarding what the Authority can achieve alone and where collective action is required, urging the public to hold the organization accountable for results.
Addressing the next generation, specifically young women aspiring to STEM careers, the Director General offers powerful advice: “Pick the hard problems.” She urges them to master their craft so thoroughly that they become the authority in the room, and to find mentors while eventually becoming mentors themselves. For her, a woman’s voice in the industry is not a favour to be granted, but essential infrastructure.
On a personal note, Barr. Hanawa manages the demanding balance between her high-profile role and her personal life through clear boundaries. She believes that defining the place for each aspect of life acts as a compass, preventing the feeling of being torn between professional responsibilities and philanthropic or personal endeavours.
Ultimately, Barr. Chafari Kanya Hanawa’s leadership of the West African Gas Pipeline Authority represents a blend of legal precision, strategic foresight, and a commitment to regional unity. As the organization prepares for continental expansion and continues to drive down energy costs, her vision of a predictable, transparent, and integrated energy market stands to reshape the economic landscape of West Africa for decades to come.
Edward Wabundani, a public affairs commentator can be reached on Email: endwarmaga@gmail.com
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