FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — The Economic Community of West African States has taken a decisive step toward realising one of Africa’s most ambitious energy projects, with member states signing an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) backing the Nigeria-Morocco African Atlantic Gas Pipeline during the 69th Ordinary Summit in Freetown.
The pipeline, which will extend approximately 6,900 kilometres, is designed to transport up to 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually from Nigeria and West Africa through 13 Atlantic coastal countries to Morocco, with connections to the European gas network via an existing pipeline linking Morocco to Spain. Of the total capacity, 15 billion cubic metres per year will be made available to Moroccan and European markets. First agreed a decade ago between the late President Muhammadu Buhari and His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the project is valued at an estimated $25 billion.
The signing gives practical effect to the approval granted at the 66th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Summit in Abuja in December 2024. It marks the culmination of an institutional process coordinated by ECOWAS following the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding between Nigeria and Morocco, reaffirming the participating states’ strong commitment to the project.
Once completed, the pipeline will cross 13 West African nations, including Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, Senegal, and Mauritania, before reaching Morocco. It will then connect to the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline in northern Morocco, providing a direct energy link to Europe.
The agreement establishes the legal and sovereign framework for the project and paves the way for the next implementation phase, which will include the establishment of the project company to be headquartered in Casablanca, Morocco, and the Pipeline Higher Authority, whose headquarters will be based in Abuja, Nigeria. These institutional milestones will facilitate investor mobilisation and the preparation of the Final Investment Decision.
NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari described the agreement as the foundation required to move the project from planning to execution, aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s vision of leveraging Nigeria’s abundant gas resources by delivering about three billion cubic feet of gas daily to domestic and international markets. Nigeria has approximately 215.19 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves, the largest in Africa.
ONHYM Director-General Amina Benkhadra described the agreement as another major achievement for the strategic initiative, reflecting the shared vision of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI and President Tinubu for deeper African cooperation.
Morocco and Mauritania, which are not members of ECOWAS, are expected to complete the intergovernmental framework through separate signings at a dedicated ceremony to be held at a later date in the presence of Nigeria’s president. The African Atlantic Gas Pipeline is intended to serve as a transformative regional infrastructure initiative that will unlock West Africa’s vast natural gas resources, integrate African energy markets, and establish a strategic development corridor linking West Africa, the Sahel, Morocco, and Europe.
