ECOWAS Approves 27 Billion Dollar Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline

Thirteen West African nations have approved the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline, a 27 billion dollar project agreed by the ECOWAS Authority at its 69th Ordinary Session in Lungi, Sierra Leone.

The pipeline is designed to run roughly 6,900 kilometres and carry 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas a year. The next phase covers establishing the project company and its governance authority, with construction slated to begin in 2028 and first gas deliveries targeted for 2031.

For Nigeria, which holds proven gas reserves of about 215.19 trillion cubic feet, the route offers a way to move volumes through West Africa toward Morocco and on to European buyers. Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, framed it as momentum toward becoming a gas powered economy rather than simply a gas rich one.

The timing carries strategic weight. The 2022 suspension of Algerian gas supplies to Spain through Morocco left a gap in regional supply that this corridor is positioned to address. ECOWAS Chairman and Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio struck a confident note on delivery.

Source: THISDAY