Five African states back Nigeria-Morocco pipeline

The governments of five states have signed separate MoUs to support a USD 25-billion gas pipeline project between Nigeria and Morocco, Nigeria’s NNPC announced at the signing ceremony in Morocco on Monday.

The deals were signed between the major backers of the project – NNPC and Moroccan National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) – and representatives from Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

The proposed development entails a 7,000-kilometre pipeline that will pass through Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania.

The asset will consist of 13 new compressor stations and transport 85 mcm (3 bcf) of gas per day.

The delivered gas will be routed to the European market.

NNPC expects to complete the development in six phases over the next 25 years.

The project is expected to be funded by NNPC and ONHYM on a 50:50 basis.

The signings follow an MoU signed between NNPC and ONHYM to begin development of the pipeline in September 2022.