Nigeria, Morocco and ECOWAS have agreed to build a 6,000 km gas pipeline

AA / Alger / Aksil Ouali

The Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline mega project that will cross 16 West African countries is taking shape.

A memorandum of understanding was signed in Rabat on September 15 to confirm the completion of the project.

The signing ceremony was held in the presence of the representative of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Sédiko Douka, Nigeria’s Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitization and the Nigerian National President Managing Director, Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari. Managing Director of Petroleum Company Limited “NNPC” and Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), Amina Bengatra.

According to a joint press release made public after the signing ceremony, the MoU reaffirms the commitment of ECOWAS to “all countries that will pass through the gas pipeline to contribute to the feasibility, technical studies, mobilization of resources and its implementation. The important project, when completed, will supply gas to all countries in West Africa and to Europe.” Allow a new export route.

“This strategic plan will improve people’s quality of life, consolidate the economies of the region, mitigate desertification, thanks to a stable and reliable supply of gas by reducing or eliminating gas flaring. Induced effects”, noted the same source.

The project involves sixteen countries, including fourteen ECOWAS members, which it says will “help export surplus natural gas from other countries: Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Mauritania.”

Announced several months ago, the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project will run from Nigeria along the West African coast through Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania. Ending in Morocco.

In the long term, it will be linked to the Maghreb Europe gas pipeline (abandoned by Algeria from November 2021, editor’s note) and the European gas network, the report said. It should also provide for landlocked states such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

According to Commissioner Sédiko Douka, who represented the ECOWAS Commission on behalf of its President, the Economic Community of West African States “is convinced of the feasibility of the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project and will spare no effort in its achievement”.

“We as a regional economic community believe in the viability of this project which represents a great opportunity and we will spare no effort for its success,” he assured.

The ECOWAS Commissioner on behalf of the President of the ECOWAS Commission reiterated his full support for this regional project that will positively affect the lives of over 400 million people.

“The impact of this project is very important as it will ensure electricity supply to the West African region and export of natural gas as a fuel in Europe in the long run. We are following the entire progress of the feasibility studies from start to finish at various validation stages,” he underlined.

According to him, the next phase relates to the detailed studies of execution, mobilization of resources and finally the phase of construction.

Once launched, the scheme will be marketed to attract public and private investors including multilateral or commercial banks, pension funds, insurance companies.

The 6,000 km long project is expected to cost $25 billion. A number of stakeholders are expected to ensure the financing component.

Only part of the dispatches that Anadolu Agency broadcasts to its subscribers through the Internal Broadcasting System (HAS) are broadcast in abbreviated form on the AA website. Contact us to subscribe.