The South-East Development Commission (SEDC) has launched a 400-kilometre gas distribution pipeline project valued at about $100 million to boost industrialisation, attract investment and create jobs across the region.

The investment agreement was signed on Tuesday in Enugu in partnership with Gas Sync and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company’s Gas Marketing Limited.

The proposed pipeline will connect gas resources in Imo State to industrial and commercial centres across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states.

The project is expected to provide industries with more reliable gas supplies, reduce energy costs and support manufacturing and other productive businesses.

President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, said the initiative would help transform the region’s natural resources into industrial growth and employment.

The SEDC said it had committed an initial $3 million to the project and was seeking additional investment to advance its development.