By Hosea Parah, Abuja
The Nigerian Federal Government has intensified discussions with the Kingdom of Morocco in a bid to expedite the Final Investment Decision (FID) on the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project. The discussions took place on Wednesday, during a meeting between the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, and the Moroccan Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Ms. Leila Benali.
The talks, which were anchored by Mr. Olalekan Ogunleye, the Executive Vice President of Gas, Power & New Energy at NNPC Ltd., and Mme Amina Benkhadra, the Director General of the Morocco National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), focused on driving the partnership between the two countries and accelerating the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project. This project aligns with the series of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed between Nigeria and Morocco in Abuja in 2022.
Both parties emphasized the strategic importance of the project to their respective countries and the entire African continent. They also highlighted the need to complete the project expeditiously in line with the objective of addressing energy poverty in Africa.
The Cooperation Agreement for the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline, signed in 2017, entails the construction of a 48” x 5,300Km pipeline from Nigeria to Dhakia (Morocco) and a 1,700km pipeline from Dhakia to Northern Morocco. The pipeline will have a capacity of 30 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year, equivalent to 3.0 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day.
The pipeline route will traverse several countries, including the Republic of Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, and terminate in Morocco, with a spur to Spain.
Due to the international nature of the project, the ECOWAS Commission is responsible for facilitating inter-governmental treaties and host government agreements. The establishment of the Pipeline Higher Authority and alignment with AU, UN, and other relevant international bodies are also part of the ECOWAS Commission’s responsibilities.
The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project is expected to drive the monetization of Nigeria’s gas resources, maintain NNPC Ltd.’s energy leadership in Africa, and promote economic and regional cooperation among African countries.