According to a report from the Royal Cabinet of Morocco, the Heads of State of Nigeria and Morocco have confirmed their commitment towards the construction of a joint gas pipeline which will dramatically expand energy access across West Africa.
Estimated to cost $25 billion, the pipeline will serve as an extension of the existing West African Gas Pipeline currently serving Benin, Togo and Ghana, as well as connect with Spain through Cádiz.
The 5,660-km pipeline is the brainchild of an agreement between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Morocco’s National Board of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), and is expected to improve access to energy across the West African region while facilitating gas exports to Europe.
NNPC and ONHYM presented the pipeline proposal at a special meeting of the Economic Community of West African States in August 2019.
Access to an affordable, stable energy supply is one of the significant barriers to growth for West African countries and has slowed the development of sectors including, food production, processing and downstream industry.