Four additional Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed by Ivory Coast, Liberia, Guinea, and Benin to participate in the cross-border Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project.
The MoUs were signed at the headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Lagos, Nigeria and featured the participation of ONHYM Director General, Amina Benkhadra; NNPC Limited CEO, Mele Kyari; ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitization, Sediko Douka; and Moroccan Ambassador to Nigeria, H.E. Moha Ou Ali Tagma.
he signing of the MoUs was attended by representatives from all the participating countries including Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco.
“The alliance represents a progressive step towards ensuring social and economic development, by ensuring energy security and achieving comprehensive development for Africa by Africans,” Benkhadra stated.
The agreements serve as a continuation of the MoUs signed by ECOWAS on 15 September 2022, confirming the commitment of the participating parties to realizing the development of the flagship pipeline project. The pipeline will run through the ECOWAS region and will be connected to the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline – which links Morocco to Spain – and the European gas network.
“Once completed, the project will enhance the monetization of the natural gas resources of the affected African countries and also offer a new alternative export route to Europe,” according to a statement released by the ECOWAS regional body, which continued, “This significant infrastructure project will contribute to accelerating access to energy for all, improving the living conditions of the populations, integrating the economies of the sub-region, and mitigating desertification.”
Expected to transport approximately 3 billion cubic feet of gas per day through a 7,000km pipeline network, the Nigeria-Morocco Pipeline is poised to benefit over 400 million people in West Africa.
