ECOWAS Endorses Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project
Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have approved the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP), a landmark regional energy project expected to boost energy security, strengthen economic integration and expand access to natural gas across West Africa.
The approval was announced during the ECOWAS summit held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where heads of state endorsed the agreement to move the multi-billion-dollar project into its implementation phase.
Originally proposed in 2016 following a meeting between Nigeria and Morocco, the estimated $27 billion pipeline will stretch about 6,000 kilometres, linking Nigeria's gas reserves with Morocco while passing through 13 West African countries along the Atlantic coast.
The pipeline will eventually connect to the existing Maghreb-Europe gas network, opening access to broader regional and international markets.
ECOWAS Chairman and President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, described the agreement as a major step toward regional development, expressing confidence that the project would transform energy access across West Africa.
According to Morocco's National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), the pipeline is designed to improve regional energy connectivity, stimulate industrial growth and create a new economic corridor linking West Africa, the Sahel, Morocco and Europe.
As part of the next phase, stakeholders will establish a project company in Casablanca and a governing authority in Abuja to oversee implementation before securing investors and reaching a final investment decision.
Construction is expected to commence in 2027, with the first gas deliveries projected for 2031.
The project has gained renewed momentum following shifts in regional energy dynamics, particularly after Algeria halted gas supplies to Spain through Morocco in 2022, increasing the need for alternative gas supply routes.
The approval was announced during the ECOWAS summit held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where heads of state endorsed the agreement to move the multi-billion-dollar project into its implementation phase.
Originally proposed in 2016 following a meeting between Nigeria and Morocco, the estimated $27 billion pipeline will stretch about 6,000 kilometres, linking Nigeria's gas reserves with Morocco while passing through 13 West African countries along the Atlantic coast.
The pipeline will eventually connect to the existing Maghreb-Europe gas network, opening access to broader regional and international markets.
ECOWAS Chairman and President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, described the agreement as a major step toward regional development, expressing confidence that the project would transform energy access across West Africa.
According to Morocco's National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), the pipeline is designed to improve regional energy connectivity, stimulate industrial growth and create a new economic corridor linking West Africa, the Sahel, Morocco and Europe.
As part of the next phase, stakeholders will establish a project company in Casablanca and a governing authority in Abuja to oversee implementation before securing investors and reaching a final investment decision.
Construction is expected to commence in 2027, with the first gas deliveries projected for 2031.
The project has gained renewed momentum following shifts in regional energy dynamics, particularly after Algeria halted gas supplies to Spain through Morocco in 2022, increasing the need for alternative gas supply routes.
