Hi everyone, my name is Emmanuel from KIAKIAGAS and unlike those who told you how easy it is to start a cooking gas business or how easy it is to make money from your cooking gas business or how stress-free it is run a cooking gas business, i believe the first thing to do before starting up a business is to understand the nature of the business and a cooking gas business is no exception. There are facts to know about the business that should not be ignored. Yes it is very profitable but it could also be a huge loss if you go into the business without having complete knowledge about the business.

Cooking Gas business is one of the most lucrative businesses in Nigeria because you can regain your investment in less than a year. It involves buying huge quantities of cooking gas, storing it in tanks, and selling it to individuals for domestic purposes such as cooking. But before starting a cooking gas retail business, some of the things to know about the business are:

How is cooking gas measured?
Where can you buy cooking gas from?
How do you handle gas cylinders?
How do you refill a customer’s gas cylinder?
What are the various sizes and expiry dates of cooking gas cylinders?
How well do people use cooking gas in Nigeria?
What is the future of cooking gas in Nigeria?
What is the start-up cost?
Where do you set up your gas plant?
What are the factors that affect the sales of cooking gas?
What are the qualities to look out for when hiring the people to monitor or manage the business?

These are some of the challenges cooking gas retailers face because they failed to learn about the business properly. I can assure that if you think you know all about the cooking gas business then you are in for a big surprise as there is more to know.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

OR send us a mail at: gaspreneur@kiakiagas.com

One of the things to know about cooking gas business is "How is cooking gas measured?". The measurement of cooking gas plays an important role in the cooking gas retail business because error when measuring the amount of gas needed to refill a gas cylinder could lead to loss in your business or complaints from your customers or both. Cooking gas can be measured in litres, kilogrammes and tonnes.

1 kilogramme is equivalent to 1.75 litres

1 metric tonne is equivalent to 1000 kilogrammes

1 metric tonne is also equivalent to 1750 litres

Now you know the correct measurements of cooking gas so you can know for sure when you are being cheated if you are at the purchasing end and for cooking gas retailers you now know exactly what your customers want.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

OR send us a mail at: gaspreneur@kiakiagas.com

Another thing to know is "where do you buy cooking gas from?". If you plan to go into the cooking gas business, it is important to know where to get cooking gas from but before bothering about where you need to understand the supply chain of cooking gas and know what section of the supply chain you belong to then you can proceed with who or where to buy from.

The supply chain of cooking gas is simply the process which cooking gas goes through before getting to the end users.

From the PRODUCERS to the WHOLESALERS to the DISTRIBUTORS to the RETAILERS and then the CONSUMERS.

NNLG is the major producer of cooking gas in Nigeria because it produces over 80% of annual cooking gas consumption in Nigeria. NAVGAS and NIPCO are the major wholesalers of cooking gas in Nigeria, both located somewhere around Apapa, Lagos State. Distributors are the companies in between the wholesalers and the retailers, they do not sell in wholesale prices but they do not deliver directly to the consumers, they sell to retailers instead, the retailers are the people or companies that sell cooking gas directly to the consumers, they sometimes do home refill for the consumers and the consumers or end users or customers are the people willing to buy cooking gas.

So for a retailer, you are more concerned with buying from the best distributor and selling to as many consumers as possible.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

OR send us a mail at: gaspreneur@kiakiagas.com

Now you know how to measure gas and where to buy gas from but the cooking gas business involves refilling customer's gas cylinders and before refilling,it is important to first know how to handle a gas cylinder. Knowing how to handle a gas cylinder helps to reduce the number of injuries or accidents that occur at a gas station. It is also good to ensure that your employees are well trained on how to refill a gas cylinder.

FOR SAFE HANDLING OF GAS CYLINDERS:

- Always place gas cylinders in a vertical position unless stated otherwise by the manufacturer.
- Restrain cylinders securely to prevent them from falling.
- Always ensure that all cylinder valves are tightly closed.
- Ensure that the valve is always protected by a valve cap to prevent further damage if the cylinder is dropped.
- When loading or unloading the cylinders,never drag,drop or roll the cylinders.
- Always ensure that cylinders are kept in a well ventilated ware house with regards to the manufacturers ambient temperature standard.
- Ensure that cylinders are placed on wooden pallets and not on a bare floor.
- Use trolleys and cylinder hand trucks when moving the cylinder around.
- Fasten securing bars on the trolley while moving the cylinders.
- Prevent direct physical contact among the cylinders in storage.

Now you know how to handle a gas cylinder and the safest way to move cylinders around, so the next question is "How do you refill customer's gas cylinders?".

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

OR send us a mail at: gaspreneur@kiakiagas.com

It is impossible to start a cooking gas business without knowing how to refill a customer's gas cylinder because as a cooking gas cylinder retailer, your main objective is to refill your customer's gas cylinder whenever they are in need of a refill. So for those who are interested in becoming a cooking gas retailer, this will be very useful to you all.

There are two ways to refill a customer's gas cylinder, the PNEUMATIC and the AUTOMATIC dispensing system.

For the pneumatic dispensing system, the cylinder is place on a digital scale and the scale is adjusted to its zero limit so as to get the exact amount of gas already in the cylinder and the exact amount of gas needed to refill. Then the nozzle of the filling system is fitted to the valve of the cylinder and the system is stopped as soon as the pre-determined amount of gas is reached.

For the automatic dispensing system, the exact amount or quantity of kg or litres is pressed on the dispenser while the refilling nozzle is already inserted in the cylinder. In this way, the system automatically stops dispensing once the pre-determined amount of gas is reached.

Note, In the automatic dispensing system, the refill automatically stops when the pre-determined amount is reached while In the pneumatic dispensing system, you have to end it yourself when you have refilled the gas cylinder to your customer's desire.

Remember only trained technicians or people with knowledge on how to refill a gas cylinder should be allowed to refill, to minimize or prevent accidents from happening while refilling.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

OR send us a mail at: gaspreneur@kiakiagas.com

What are the different sizes of cooking gas cylinders? what size of cooking gas cylinder do you use at home?

Cooking gas cylinders come in different shapes, colors and sizes. The various sizes are 3kg, 5kg, 6kg, 12.5kg, 25kg and 50kg but other
sizes could also be manufactured based on special arrangements/ orders.

Did you know that there is an expiry date for cooking gas cylinders?

Each cylinder comes with three vertical stay plates (side stems) near its head. Besides carrying the weight information, one of the side
stem carries some alpha-numeric code which is the expiry date of that particular gas cylinder.

Here is how to decode the expiry date:

Letter A stands for January to March; B stands April to June; C stands for July to September and D stands for October to December.
So if the characters on the vertical stay plates carry the date 'B – 09' it means the expiry date of the cylinder was JUNE 2009. Similarly,
'C-16' will indicate that the expiry date of that particular cylinder is SEPTEMBER 2016. A cylinder that is used beyond the expiry date
invites hazard and should immediately be returned to the distributor.

It is important to understand that the date stands for expiry date of the cylinder and not the liquefied petroleum gas inside. But it is in
the interest of consumers to always check for the expiry date of a cylinder before refilling.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

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Kiakia....

How well do people use cooking gas in Nigeria?

Nigeria is the world's sixth largest producer of Liquefied Petroleum Gas also known as Cooking Gas but has the lowest utilization of LPG in sub-Saharan Africa with a potential to produce 5 million metric tonnes of cooking gas yearly and a national usage of merely 350,000 tonnes.

Mrs Nkechi Obi (Executive Vice-Chair of Techno Oil Ltd) said "LPG or cooking gas users find it extremely difficult to refill their cylinders. Sometimes, they travel as far as 200km before they can access facilities to refill their cylinders". She added "Our desire is for government to provide incentives for investors to build refilling plants and terminals and DPR to incorporate LPG plants in all mega stations within reach of communities, so that people can refill their cylinders with ease and at an affordable cost"

Mr Dayo Adesina (President of NLPGA) said with a population of over 160 million people, Nigeria ought to consume 5,000,000 tonnes of LPG/cooking gas every year rather than a 350,000 tonnes. He maintained that the gas that would be processed into cooking gas was abundant in Nigeria as the country has more gas than oil, adding however that consumption could only rise to 5,000,000 tonnes per annum if firewood and other dirty and poisonous fuels were discouraged.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

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uneksoma:
thank you for this information.... I know your offices are in yaba, you built a gas plant for a friend of mine.... I need a 5mt plant in surulere.... I will be in communication.

Okay and thank you too for reading.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

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What is the future of cooking gas in Nigeria?

- Nigeria possesses tremendous oil and gas potentials and has had significant capacity additions in the last few years. The oil and gas

industry is rapidly evolving not only as a catalyst to national development but also helping to meet global demand.

- Consequently, Nigeria is well positioned to meet the global oil and gas supply needs sustainably while ensuring ongoing wealth creation in

the domestic economy.

- Although the recent unrest in the Niger Delta is a challenge. Equally, high level dialogue which is ongoing, signals hope for peaceful and

sustained resolution. There has been significant progress through key initiatives such as the local content drive, increased local participation,

establishment of skills acquisition centres etc.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

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What is the future of cooking gas in Nigeria?

The world has continued to witness sustained band shift in crude oil and gas prices since 2004 and this has triggered major changes in the

global energy landscape.

The United Kingdom based Business Monitor International (BMI) believes that consumption of crude is likely to rise at a compound annual rate

of 7% year-on-year between 2012 and 2022 boosted by anticipated strong GDP growth. BMI saw Nigerian gas consumption rising from an

estimated 5.8bcm in 2012 to 15.0bcm by 2022.

ACCESS Africa in partnership with the government, international organizations such as USAID, micro-finance groups, gas companies and

Nigeria's large distributors aim to improve the use of LPG/cooking gas in Nigeria. Their "Switch to LPG initiative" will see more than 20 million

gas cylinders provided to Nigerian homes.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

OR send us a mail at: gaspreneur@kiakiagas.com

FOR SAFE HANDLING OF GAS CYLINDERS:

- Always place gas cylinders in a vertical position unless stated otherwise by the manufacturer.
- Restrain cylinders securely to prevent them from falling.
- Always ensure that all cylinder valves are tightly closed.
- Ensure that the valve is always protected by a valve cap to prevent further damage if the cylinder is dropped.
- When loading or unloading the cylinders,never drag,drop or roll the cylinders.
- Always ensure that cylinders are kept in a well ventilated ware house with regards to the manufacturers ambient temperature standard.
- Ensure that cylinders are placed on wooden pallets and not on a bare floor.
- Use trolleys and cylinder hand trucks when moving the cylinder around.
- Fasten securing bars on the trolley while moving the cylinders.
- Prevent direct physical contact among the cylinders in storage.

Please take note:

- Always check the seal of the cylinder.
- Check the safety cap properly, it should not have any crack.
- Remove the safety cap and check for leakage from the valve.
- Connect your cylinder to your gas cooker properly and make sure there is no leakage.
- Do not use expired gas cylinders for safety.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

OR send us a mail at: gaspreneur@kiakiagas.com

What is the future of cooking gas in Nigeria?

On steps being taken to meet the growing demand in gas, Mr. Dawha (Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) said

the Federal Government and the NNPC were embarking on a very aggressive implementation of the National Gas Master Plan.

"Over 500 kilometres of pipelines have been laid and many more kilometres are being planned for execution in the next two to three years" he

said. He also said other steps were being taken to position Nigeria and NNPC as key players in the evolving gas-driven economy, while the

corporation was being transformed from a mere oil company into an oil and gas company.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

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Did you know?

The Nigerian Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association (NLPGA) has revealed that the nation's current LPG/cooking gas consumption rate is presently

at 350,000 tonnes per annum. Nigeria is the world's sixth largest producer of Liquefied Petroleum Gas also known as Cooking Gas but has the

lowest utilization of LPG in sub-Saharan Africa. With a population of over 160 million people, Nigeria ought to consume about 5,000,000 tonnes of

LPG/cooking gas every year

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

OR send us a mail at: gaspreneur@kiakiagas.com

What is the start-up cost?

According to experts (people who are already in the business) you can start conveniently with minimum of N5million and be able to get a shop and buy gas in very large quantities. The cost of shop depends on the location, if you decide to locate your business in a highbrow area, you will spend much more money to get a shop but the cost will be well worth it.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

OR send us a mail at: gaspreneur@kiakiagas.com

The Nigerian Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association (NLPGA) has revealed that the nation's current LPG/cooking gas consumption rate is presently

at 350,000 tonnes per annum. Nigeria is the world's sixth largest producer of Liquefied Petroleum Gas also known as Cooking Gas but has the

lowest utilization of LPG in sub-Saharan Africa. With a population of over 160 million people, Nigeria ought to consume about 5,000,000 tonnes of

LPG/cooking gas every year.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

OR send us a mail at: gaspreneur@kiakiagas.com

LPG Plant comes in different sizes and it is flexible, which means you can select a plan that won't leave you bankrupt.

● 2.5tonnes mini plant: N6.5miliion to N8.5million

● 5 tonnes mini plant: N10million to N14million

● 10tonnes stationary plant: N16million to N20million

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

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Where do you set up your gas plant?

To decide on the best location to setup your gas plant facility, consider a highly populated residential areas.

Many consumers would prefer buying gas in their locality therefore, locate your business in a place not too far from residential areas.

Your ideal location will be an area with high traffic such as a busy road, street or street junction close to a market place.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

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Where do you set up your gas plant?

A good place to build to your gas plant is an area very close to where a large number of people reside, this is to ensure that you are not too far

from your target market.

But do not forget that your product is highly flammable, hence do not build your gas plant close to a residential building.

You need a small space to use as your office but big enough to store all your cylinders when closing time comes.

Sometimes setting up your gas plants where competitive companies are located is good. You may also catch the overflow from an existing

business.

Find out if any ordinances or zoning restrictions could affect your business in any way.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

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Power outage can ruin your meal preparation when using an electric cooker but with cooking gas, you need not be worried about outages,

effects of bad weather, or energy supply. Once a gas line is installed, it is always available whenever turned on.

Cooked dishes turns out better with cooking gas. It does not dry the dishes because it allows a moist cooking environment.

Foods that are baked using cooking gas ovens turn out perfect. Electric ovens frequently dry food.

So why not cooking gas?

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

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A cooking gas cooker gives you greater control over your cooking temperature.

Warm-up time is less with gas.

Once you turn off the cooker, cooking stops almost immediately.

The instant on-off feature with gas cooking gives you complete freedom in good cooking.

With electricity you need to allow some time for the oven to cool down.

Some dishes may be affected by the prolonged high temperatures.

Cooking gas also cooks food more evenly than electricity.

Gas cookers will give you better results in cooking.

So why not cooking gas?

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

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How safe is the cooking gas business?

Sometimes the problem with starting up a cooking gas business is not because there is no money but fear of gas explosion.

However, what they don't know is that before an LPG/cooking gas skid plant can be sited and installed in a given location, Department of

Petroleum Resources (DPR) must carry out a proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in accordance with the international best

standard, followed by calibration test, pressure test and facility integrity test to ascertain the safety compliance limit of the LPG

infrastructure.

A DPR certificate is issued once all the necessary standards are met.

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A cooking gas oven heats up and cools down faster than an electric cooker.

Warming begins as soon as you turn on the cooking gas. Equally, cooking will stop just as soon as the gas is turned off.

Far less energy is consumed in the on- off process unlike an electric cooker.

You need to allow the electric coils in the cooker to heat up sufficiently before cooking actually begins.

When turned off, the electric cooker will take a while before it cools. Yet the energy in motion isn’t quite being used effectively.

This makes a gas oven a better choice in terms of energy efficiency.

So why not cooking gas?

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

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Because of the energy efficiency of cooking gas, it costs less than electricity.

If you do a lot of baking, an oven fueled by cooking gas may make a better choice for you.

Overall, you are bound to meet higher costs on electricity bills with an electric oven, which utilizes more energy to operate.

Most gas appliances have low maintenance. Electric cookers usually have more frequent maintenance needs.

Replacement of faulty cooker parts becomes necessary more often with electric cookers than gas cookers.

Constant repair of faulty cooker parts means you would have no choice but to cut down on overall home maintenance costs.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

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What are the factors that affect the sales of cooking gas?

Lack of information.

People who are not well informed about the beauty of cooking with gas believes only the beast side of it

They complain on how dangerous it is to use cooking gas

Fear of gas explosion has blinded many to see how cheap and fast it is to cook with gas

Cooking gas is not just cheaper and faster but also a gas cooker gives you greater control over your cooking temperature.

You don't have to depend on PHCN before you eat or worry about the flame from your Kerosene stove being too high which may burn

your food before it cooks.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

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What are the factors that affect the sales of cooking gas?

Constant change in the price of cooking gas

Today the price of cooking gas for 12.5kg is N3,500 and tomorrow it is N4,500 has discouraged many

from using cooking gas to cook. Although the future of cooking gas in Nigeria holds a better system by

which cooking gas price can be controlled, it is still a worry today.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

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What are the factors that affect the sales of cooking gas?

Residents reluctance to learn new ideas

Many people believe strongly in the culture of their mothers and fathers and not ready to try anything new.

They just want to follow the ways of their parents and continue the charcoal way of cooking but new ideas has brought about so many

great inventions like aeroplane, motor cars, generators, refrigerators and so on.

Sometimes, it is okay to embrace new ideas and learn new things.

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Challenges of Starting a Cooking Gas Retail Business

You will be dealing with an inflammable product

Gas is a highly inflammable product and just one little mistake can result to an explosion.

So it is important you maintain a high safety standard in your premises and refill your customers gas

tanks in open places.

You should also place fire extinguishers strategically throughout your store.

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

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One of the disadvantages of electric stoves

It cooks Food Slower.

For many people, the problem with electric stove is that it cooks food slower than gas cookers and really, this is a fact.

Gas generates more heat than electricity that is most likely regulated in the first place.

To read about the disadvantages of Electric stoves visit

http://www.kiakiagas.com/blog/gas-vs-electric-stove-which-really-more-efficient

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

OR send us a mail at: gaspreneur@kiakiagas.com

Another advantage of cooking gas is that you can cook anytime, come rain, come sun shine.

Gas stoves are not concerned about and do not rely on electricity.

So, you never have to worry about power shortage affecting your cooking.

In as much as you make sure you do run out of gas, you are good to go.

Some electric stove lovers might argue that gas could also be a hindrance but at least with gas, you can monitor it.

To read about the advantages of cooking gas visit

http://www.kiakiagas.com/blog/gas-vs-electric-stove-which-really-more-efficient

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

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But why is price of refilling cylinders costly when we are producers ourselves??

Ademat7:
But why is price of refilling cylinders costly when we are producers ourselves??

Hi Ademat7,

For more information call/whatsapp our business development team: 09060325773

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