The governments of Nigeria and Libya have started talks about building a multi-billion dollar gas pipeline between their countries.

Nigeria’s oil minister Ekperikpe Ekpo spoke with his Libyan counterpart Khalifa AbduAlsadik at the Gastech Exhibition and Conference in Houston, Texas.

Speaking on Twitter/X, Ekpo said the meeting was held to “discuss the possibility of developing a regional gas pipeline from Nigeria to Libya”.

The pipeline would stretch 5,600km and would ultimately transmit gas to energy-poor Europe. It would also distribute it to 12 African countries on the way. Namely: Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco.

Nigeria wants to move its hydrocarbon industry away from oil and towards gas.

Its Upstream Regulatory Commission says crude oil reserves stand at 37 billion barrels, whereas gas reserves are put at 202 trillion cubic feet.

President Tinubu recently inaugurated three gas plants in the southern states of Delta and Imo. These are expected to boost production by 25%.

Nigeria is also considering a gas pipeline to Europe via Morocco.

An earlier plan to build a $13bn Trans-Saharan pipeline to Algeria was halted by last July’s coup in Niger.