West African leaders approve $25bn Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline
West African leaders have officially approved the Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline, marking a major milestone for one of Africa’s largest and most ambitious energy infrastructure projects.
Speaking after the signing ceremony in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s President and current ECOWAS Chairman, Julius Maada Bio, hailed the development, joking: “Don’t be surprised when the gas comes your way.”
The proposed 6,000-kilometre pipeline will stretch along the Atlantic coast through 14 African countries, transporting natural gas from Nigeria to Morocco before connecting to Europe’s existing gas network via Spain.
Construction is expected to begin in 2028, with the project estimated to cost US$25 billion (£19 billion).
Energy analyst and former Nigerian government adviser Charles Majomi said the project represents a shift from the long-standing practice of exporting Africa’s raw gas for processing overseas before re-importing it at much higher prices.
He argued that retaining more of the value chain within Africa would help maximise the continent’s natural resources and drive industrial development.
Majomi also said the pipeline could strengthen Africa’s influence globally by improving regional energy security and enhancing the continent’s bargaining power with international markets in Europe and Asia.
Similarly, Professor Ganiyat Adejoke Adesina-Uthman of the National Open University of Nigeria described the project as a symbol of African cooperation, saying it would transform the continent into a key energy corridor connecting international markets.
Once completed, the pipeline is expected to transport 30 billion cubic metres of gas annually, supplying about 400 million people and becoming one of the world’s longest offshore gas pipelines.
The agreement signed on Sunday concludes nearly a decade of negotiations since the project was first proposed in 2016 and establishes the legal and governance framework needed to move the initiative into its next phase.
Rather than being built all at once, construction is expected to proceed in stages. Analysts say the initial phase will likely begin along the Morocco-Mauritania-Senegal corridor, followed by the Ghana-Côte d’Ivoire section before eventually linking to Nigeria, where the gas supply will originate.
Unlike the proposed Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, which passes through parts of the conflict-prone Sahel, the Atlantic route avoids many of those security risks, although its offshore design significantly increases construction costs.
Technical studies, including feasibility assessments and front-end engineering design (FEED), have been completed, and most of the pipeline route has already been agreed.
However, financing the estimated US$25 billion project remains one of the biggest challenges, alongside ensuring security across participating countries and protecting the extensive pipeline network from sabotage.
Majomi noted that participating countries would need to strengthen security, engage host communities and deploy technologies such as drones and aerial surveillance to safeguard the infrastructure.
The project is being jointly developed by Nigeria’s national oil company and Morocco’s national mining agency, with support from ECOWAS, the Islamic Development Bank, and the OPEC Fund for International Development.
Beyond supplying Europe, the pipeline is expected to provide natural gas to African countries that currently depend on expensive imported fuels, supporting electricity generation as well as fertiliser production, petrochemical industries and manufacturing across West Africa.
For Nigeria, the initiative offers an opportunity to monetise its vast natural gas reserves while deepening economic ties with countries across West and North Africa.
Despite the strong political backing, experts caution that financing, regional stability, engineering complexities, competition from other export routes such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects and the Nigeria-Algeria Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, as well as Europe’s transition to renewable energy, remain significant hurdles.
Nevertheless, Professor Adesina-Uthman said the project has the potential to expand access to cleaner energy, create jobs, stimulate industrial growth and position Africa as a stronger player in the global energy market.
Source: BBC
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