The intergovernmental agreement for the $25 billion Nigeria‑Morocco gas pipeline is slated for signing later this year, the head of Morocco's hydrocarbons and mining agency ONHYM, Amina Benkhadra, told Reuters. The venture, called the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, was first agreed a decade ago and will stretch about 6,900 km on a hybrid offshore‑onshore route with a peak capacity of 30 billion cubic metres (bcm). ECOWAS backs the project, which includes a 15 bcm allocation to supply Morocco and facilitate exports to Europe.
Benkhadra said a high authority will be set up in Nigeria after the agreement, bringing together ministerial representatives from the 13 participating countries for political and regulatory coordination. The feasibility study and front‑end engineering design (FEED) phases are already finished.
A joint‑venture project company will be formed in Morocco between ONHYM and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company to manage execution, financing and construction. Initial sections will link Morocco to gas fields in Mauritania and Senegal, then connect Ghana to Côte d'Ivoire, and finally join Ghana to Nigeria's gas fields. First gas from the early phases is expected in 2031.
The pipeline is designed as a series of "standalone systems," allowing each segment to be built and generate value independently. No definitive funding commitments have been secured yet; the project company will raise a mix of equity and debt, Benkhadra added, noting strong interest because of the project's scale, phased approach and strategic location.
Amina Benkhadra's announcement marks the first concrete step toward turning a decade‑old, $25 billion concept into an operational cross‑border energy corridor, even though financing remains unsettled.
The plan enjoys ECOWAS endorsement and a phased design that lets individual sections become operational without waiting for a single, continent‑wide investment decision. By completing feasibility and FEED studies, the partners have cleared technical hurdles, yet the absence of firm equity or debt pledges underscores the reliance on future investor confidence.
If the pipeline reaches its 2031 target, Nigerian gas producers could access new export routes, potentially boosting revenues and supporting domestic power generation. Communities along the Ghana‑Nigeria stretch stand to benefit from increased electricity supply, while industrial and mining firms may see lower energy costs.
The initiative fits a broader trend of West African states seeking infrastructure projects that bind economies together, positioning the region as an energy bridge to Europe and reducing dependence on traditional supply chains.
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