Minister announces milestones in Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline

Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali said advanced studies confirm the feasibility and economic viability of the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline project.

Responding to a parliamentary inquiry, the minister disclosed that pivotal project stages are scheduled for the coming months.

These include field assessments, an examination of environmental and social impacts, the signing of vital intergovernmental agreements, and the establishment of a coordinating project company. This entity will oversee financing, construction, operations, and the mobilization of international donors.

Highlighting the project’s global significance, the government official noted that it has attracted interest from international donors. The Islamic Development Bank and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Development Bank have committed to financing a substantial portion of the studies.

The Economic Community of West African States, comprising fifteen member states, has decided to partner in the project. The partnership agreement was formalized in Rabat on September 15, 2022.

Further partnerships were established with the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the Republic of Senegal on October 15, 2022, in Nouakchott. Similar agreements were inked with the Republics of Guinea, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Gambia, and Guinea Bissau in Rabat on December 5, 2022.

The Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline will originate in Nigeria and end in Morocco, passing through eleven countries: Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Senegal, and Mauritania. 

The pipeline is expected to transport nearly 3 billion cubic feet of gas per day along the West African coast to Morocco and Europe, covering a distance of 7,000 kilometers.

The Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline project was announced in 2016 in Abuja under the leadership of King Mohammed VI and former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari.