Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have approved the construction of the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline, a landmark cross-border energy project aimed at strengthening regional integration and expanding African gas exports to Europe.
The agreement was inked during the ECOWAS summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone, paving the way for the development of the approximately 6,000-kilometre pipeline that will transport natural gas from Nigeria through 13 West African countries to Morocco before connecting with the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline.
ECOWAS Chair and Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio announced the agreement during the summit, saying the regional bloc had formally endorsed the project.
“We have already signed the West Africa-Morocco gas pipeline,” Bio said. “Don’t be surprised when the gas comes your way.”
In a joint statement, Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited said the pipeline is designed to connect West Africa’s natural gas resources with major regional and international markets while strengthening the integration of African energy markets.
The partners said the project is also expected to establish a new economic corridor linking West Africa, the Sahel, Morocco and Europe, supporting economic development and regional energy security.
As part of the next phase, the two sides will establish a project company based in Casablanca and a governing authority headquartered in Abuja before engaging investors and reaching a final investment decision.
Construction is expected to begin in 2028, with first gas deliveries targeted for 2031, according to a source at ONHYM.
First proposed during King Mohammed VI’s visit to Abuja in 2016, the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline is estimated to cost around $27 billion.
The project has gained renewed strategic importance following Algeria’s decision in 2022 to halt gas exports to Spain via Morocco after diplomatic relations between Algiers and Rabat deteriorated, increasing interest in alternative energy supply routes to Europe.
