Construction of the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline has kicked off. Chief Operating Officer of the gas and power of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Yusuf Usman announced the start of the project.

The commencing of the project follows the recent commitment to the construction by Morocco’s President King Mohammed VI and Muhammadu Buhari, the President of the Republic of Nigeria. The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline was conceived 2016 through an agreement between the NNPC and the Moroccan Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (National Board of Hydrocarbons and Mines) (ONHYM).

“Feasibility studies have been completed, paving way for the start of a kind of vision that is set to lift Africa,” said Mr. Usman.

Access to energy across the West Africa region

The project falls in line with the “Decade of Gas Master Plan” that Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari launched in 2020, which seeks to bolster Nigeria’s gas production and gas exports despite a global transition to clean energy.

On the Moroccan side, this landmark project is part of the South-South cooperation upheld by King Mohammed VI. It is expected to create a competitive regional power market and benefit all West African people, countries and their economies. The project sets to add into Morocco’s growing list of African trade deals, securing its position as an African economic leader.

The 5,660 kilometers pipeline will pass through West African countries such as Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Senegal, and into Morocco. It will also be an extension of the existing West African Gas Pipeline, which already connects Nigeria with Benin, Togo, and Ghana. According to Global Energy Monitor, the project will take 25 years to complete.

Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline upon completion is expected to improve access to energy across the West Africa region. The project will also strengthen energy exports to Europe.