16th June, 2023
By Emmanuella Anokam
The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project has moved forward with the signing of four Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to assure the project’s progress and strategic direction.
The four Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) were signed on Friday in Abuja at the headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) during the project’s first Steering Committee Meeting.
The agreements were signed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), Morocco’s Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM), and Cote d’Ivoire’s Société Nationale des Opérations Pétrolières (PETROCI).
Others include the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), Benin’s Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures (SNH-Benin), and the Republic of Guinea’s Société Nationale des Pétroles (SONAP).
When completed, the project will improve the monetization of the impacted African countries’ natural gas resources while also providing a new alternative export route to Europe.
Malam Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., stated in his remarks that the FEED Phase II Study was now at more than 70% in the survey tendering process, with clear visibility in project funding.
The surveys are the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and the Land Acquisition and Resettlement Policy Framework (LARPF), according to Kyari.
“We are also pleased to welcome our counterparts from NOCAL of Liberia, PETROCI of Cote D’Ivoire, SNH Benin and SONAP of Guinea for committing to collaborate with us on this project through the execution of MoU.
“This is a clear demonstration of the commitment of the Host Governments, the ECOWAS Commission, and the National Oil Companies to deliver on this strategic project, create wealth and value for our countries and other stakeholders.
“As you are aware, our collective decisions and actions guided by our shared vision would extend far beyond gas supply to spur prosperity and economic integration between our nations,’’ he said.
While thanking President Bola Tinubu for entrusting the strategic project to NNPC Ltd., Kyari praised the ECOWAS Commission’s participation in co-hosting the meeting, in addition to the planned execution of the treaty, host government agreements, and other enablers.
Madam Amina Benkhadra, Director-General of ONHYM, also spoke, saying that the gathering constituted a constructive step towards assuring social and economic development through energy security and accessibility, with the goal of achieving total African development by Africans.
Mr. Sédiko Douka, ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy, and Digitization, stated in his remarks that the pipeline will go from Nigeria to Morocco, passing via Atlantic Coast States, with interior ramps to supply Interland Countries and possibly Europe.
“The project will strengthen our electricity production/generation capacity, stimulate industrial, agricultural development, and contribute to the energy transition by using a source of energy that is cleaner than other fossil fuels,’’ he said.
He recalled that the Steering Committee, which had been expanded to include additional stakeholders, was part of the dynamics of the MoU signed on September 15, 2022, in Rabat, Morocco, by the ECOWAS Commission, NNPC, and ONHYM.
He noted that ECOWAS was involved in the development of the West Africa Gas Pipeline Extension Project (WAGPEP) through a feasibility study approved in 2018.
At the same time, Nigeria and Morocco decided to launch the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project (NMGP) via NNPC Ltd. and ONHYM.
“The similarities between the two projects soon became apparent, and so, the need for synergy to pool efforts in order to achieve a single gas pipeline project.
“Today, we can assure you that the ECOWAS member States are fully committed to this structuring Project. As proof, the statutory bodies of ECOWAS have ratified the decision to merge the projects into a single one,’’ he said.
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