The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has formally approved the Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline project, paving the way for the next phase of what is expected to become one of the world’s longest offshore gas pipelines.
The agreement was endorsed during a ceremony held on Sunday in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where West African leaders signed off on the project after years of negotiations.
Speaking after the ceremony, Sierra Leonean President and current ECOWAS Chairman Julius Maada Bio expressed optimism about the project, telling participants, “Don’t be surprised when the gas comes your way.”
The proposed pipeline will span approximately 6,000 kilometres along the Atlantic coast, transporting natural gas from Nigeria through 14 African countries to Morocco before linking with Europe’s gas network through Spain.
Construction is expected to commence in 2028 at an estimated cost of $25 billion.
According to project details, the pipeline is expected to transport up to 30 billion cubic metres of gas annually, serving an estimated 400 million consumers across the region.
The agreement establishes the legal and governance framework for the project and is regarded as the final major political step before financing arrangements and construction decisions are concluded.
The pipeline, first proposed in 2016, has now entered its most advanced political and technical stage since its inception.
Energy expert and former Nigerian government adviser Charles Majomi shared that the project represents a shift from the current model in which African countries export raw gas for processing abroad before importing refined products at significantly higher prices.
Majomi said the project could stimulate industrial development across the region and strengthen Africa’s position in global energy markets.
Professor Ganiyat Adejoke Adesina-Uthman of the National Open University of Nigeria also described the project as a demonstration of regional cooperation, saying it has the potential to improve energy security while opening African markets to greater international trade.
According to analysts, the project will be implemented in phases rather than through simultaneous construction across all participating countries.
Majomi said construction is expected to begin along the Morocco-Mauritania-Senegal section before extending to the Ghana-Côte d’Ivoire corridor, with the final connection reaching Nigeria to supply the gas.
Unlike the proposed Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, which would pass through parts of the Sahel, the Atlantic route largely avoids some of the region’s most insecure areas. However, offshore construction is expected to increase overall project costs.
Project feasibility studies and Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) studies have been completed, while the proposed route has largely been agreed upon.
Despite the political endorsement, analysts say financing the estimated $25 billion project remains a major challenge, alongside ensuring security across the pipeline’s route and maintaining political stability in participating countries.
The project is being jointly led by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), with support from ECOWAS, the Islamic Development Bank and the OPEC Fund for International Development.
Beyond supplying gas to Europe, the pipeline is expected to provide natural gas to participating African countries, supporting electricity generation, fertiliser production, petrochemical industries and manufacturing along the Atlantic coast.
Analysts have also identified competition from liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, the Nigeria-Algeria Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline and uncertainty over Europe’s future gas demand as additional challenges that could affect the project’s long-term implementation.
SOURCE: BBC Africa