Nigeria-Morocco Gas Project progresses toward boosting African energy integration

The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project has reached a significant milestone with the land acquisition and resettlement phase, according to Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

Announced during the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Inter-Ministerial Meeting in Abuja, the project is part of a larger vision to create an energy infrastructure that will link Nigeria’s gas resources to Europe through Morocco.

NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer Malam Mele Kyari, represented by Executive Vice Chairman for Gas and Power Mr. Olalekan Ogunleye, highlighted that the completion of phase two of frontier engineering design signals steady progress.

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The meeting focused on shaping future phases and ensuring the project’s impact on local economies and communities.

Mr. Ogunleye emphasized the importance of joint efforts, saying, “The decisions made here will shape the future of the African Atlantic Gas Project, ensuring a positive impact on the economies of our nations and the lives of our people.”

The 6,800-kilometer pipeline network, expected to cost $25 billion, spans 13 African countries, marking it as one of the continent’s largest gas infrastructure projects.

It was first proposed in 2016, with both Nigeria and Morocco committed to linking energy resources across the region.

The project’s significance goes beyond energy transfer; it serves as a key step in regional economic integration.

According to Nigerian Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, the pipeline represents a new vision for Africa’s hydrocarbon sector.

The agreements forged at the meeting, including the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) and Host Government Agreement (HGA), set a framework for collaboration, bolstering energy security and trade.

Moroccan Minister of Energy Infrastructure Laila Benali underscored the political and economic importance of the project, with support from both President Bola Tinubu and King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

She expressed Morocco’s commitment to the project, stating, “This pipeline is very much a political pipeline, and that is also the reason why we at the Kingdom of Morocco thank our partners in ECOWAS for their persistence and dedication to this vision.”