Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline, a project that will transform Africa – present-day Morocco

Considered one of the strategic projects launched on the African continent, the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline is likely to kick-start economics and promote regional integration.

The Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline, which will run from Nigeria along the West African coast and cross thirteen African countries, will connect the European market via Spain. With a length of over 5,700 km, the project will have an annual capacity of 30 to 40 billion cubic meters and deliver approximately 3 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day. The significant progress made in the implementation of the Nigeria-Morocco strategic project and the major projects launched in the field of energy and sustainable development were at the center of discussions between the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development in early 2024. Development, Leila Benali, and the Nigerian Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo, on a working visit to Morocco. In a statement to the press after this interview, Ms Benali indicated that Mr Ekpo’s working visit to Morocco is an opportunity to examine the various projects, in particular that of the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline, recalling that projects are part of the positive momentum in bilateral relations brought by the visit of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to Nigeria in December 2016 and following the telephone conversation that the Sovereign had with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Adekunle. On his part, Mr. Ekpo indicated that his two-day visit to Morocco is an opportunity for both sides to examine the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project, announced in 2016 on the occasion of the Royal visit to Nigeria, and its progress. “Given what has been achieved, the project is progressing,” the Nigerian official noted, while welcoming Morocco’s efforts in this direction. Morocco and Nigeria maintain cooperative relations and establish fruitful partnerships in the field of energy transition and sustainable development, characterized by the exchange of experiences and expertise, capacity building and the development of projects in favor of various bilateral treaties in operation in the United States stepped. renewable energy, hydrocarbon, phosphate production and fertilizer sectors. This major project, which was highlighted in the Royal Speech on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the Green March, has since gone through several phases towards its implementation. This is materialized by the signing of five memoranda of understanding, confirming the commitment of the various stakeholders in the framework of this connection, which will allow gas to be supplied to all countries of West Africa and a new export route to Europe will open. It should be noted that the royal speech on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the Green March emphasized the scope of this major project as a model of South-South cooperation. Indeed, this infrastructure will contribute to improving the living conditions of the population, integrating the economies of the sub-region and combating desertification through a sustainable and reliable gas supply, thus fulfilling the continent’s commitments in this area. The gas pipeline will run along the West African coast from Nigeria, via Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania to Morocco. It will be connected to the Maghreb-European gas pipeline and the European gas network. This infrastructure will also make it possible to supply the landlocked states of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali. For the Director General of the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), Amina Benkhadra, who spoke on the sidelines of the Africa Investment Forum (AIF – Africa Investment Forum), the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline will accelerate the integration of the African countries easier. continent. “This strategic project launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI and former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will make it possible to take steps towards this integration of the African continent that must absolutely be developed,” Ms. Benkhadra said in a statement to the map. , adding that this project should contribute to access to energy, not only for populations that lack it, but also to the development of critically important industrial and mining sectors. The DG of ONHYM had underlined that all the countries crossed by this gas pipeline have mineral resources that require energy, noting that this project goes towards the integration of Africa, in which the sovereign has a particular interest as part of the cooperation policy that is being pursued. in various sectors with brotherly African countries, following a win-win partnership. This major project, which was launched in Abuja in 2016 under the chairmanship of HM King Mohammed VI and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, will connect Nigeria’s gas resources, those of several West African countries and Morocco, thereby promoting regional economic integration promote. In June 2018, this project entered a new phase. His Majesty King Mohammed VI, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, presided over the signing ceremony of three bilateral cooperation agreements, including one related to the strategic gas pipeline project Nigeria-Morocco. Construction is expected to take place in several phases and to meet the growing needs of the countries through which construction passes and of Europe over the next 25 years. This strategic project offers several advantages. These include regional cooperation among Morocco, Nigeria, Mauritania and ECOWAS countries with the aim of promoting trade and development in the mutual interest of the countries, the integration of the economies of the sub-region in accordance with the objectives of Nepad, the reduction of the flaring of gas and diversification of energy sources, contributing to the fight against desertification by using gas as a reliable and sustainable form of energy in the sub-region, and wealth creation and poverty alleviation by opening opportunities for economic growth in the sub-region. region.