The 7,000-kilometer pipeline will cross 13 countries along the Atlantic seaboard, as well as three landlocked countries, namely Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. Its capacity, estimated at 30 billion cubic meters per year, represents an opportunity for energy transformation for the nations involved. Through this joint project, initiated by King Mohammed VI of Morocco and former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, with the support of current President Bola Tinubu, West African countries aim to strengthen their energy security while creating new dynamics for regional and international cooperation.
A project with a highly strategic dimension
Representatives of the 16 countries through which the pipeline will pass, as well as ECOWAS members, reaffirmed their support for this infrastructure at the Lagos workshop. The project, which mobilizes investments estimated at 25 billion USD, symbolizes a new era of South-South cooperation, a vision encouraged by African leaders to boost the region’s economic development.
Validation of the HGA comes after several rounds of negotiations, notably in Rabat, Marrakech and Abidjan, confirming the willingness of the parties involved to make this ambitious project a reality. According to a representative of Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline will play a key role in the industrialization of the countries concerned, boosting the energy, industrial and employment sectors.
Construction phases extending to 2029
This strategic infrastructure will be rolled out in four distinct phases. The first phase (1A) will link Ghana to Ivory Coast, while phase 1B will connect Senegal to Morocco. Work on these two sections will be carried out simultaneously. Phase 2 will then stretch from Nigeria to Ghana, and phase 3 will complete the circuit by linking Ivory Coast to Senegal.
Feasibility and detailed engineering studies were completed at the beginning of 2024, enabling the next steps to be planned. The signing of the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA), expected by the end of 2024, will provide the legal framework for all the countries involved, and should enable the final investment decision to be taken in early 2025. The first gas flows are scheduled to take place between late 2028 and early 2029.
A lever for economic and energy development
West Africa holds significant natural gas reserves, estimated at 8,800 billion cubic meters. The Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project will make it possible to exploit these resources, securing the region’s energy supply while offering a new export route to the European market. In addition to contributing to the electrification and improvement of energy infrastructures, this pipeline will have a positive impact on the GDP of the countries it passes through, and stimulate job creation.
Representatives of the host countries see the project as an engine for industrial growth and a solution to the growing energy needs of their populations. The next steps will depend on the finalization of financial agreements and the start of construction work. For now, all eyes are on West Africa, a region poised to play a key role in the global energy landscape thanks to this ambitious initiative.
