Page 30 - Nigeriaone mag 3 edition en

Nigeria-Morocco pipeline moves closer to supplying gas to

Europe

Gas pipeline illustrative image

On Thursday September 15th, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Morocco, ECOWAS and
Nigeria to complete the gas pipeline between Rabat and Abuja by 2047, and thus pave the way to a possibility of
new routes to export Energy to West Africa and Europe.
Amina Benkhadra, the Director General of the Moroccan Office of Hydrocarbons and Minerals, Sediko Duka,
the representative of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and Miss Kolo Kyari, the CEO
of the Nigerian oil company have gathered in Rabat to sign the memorandum.
A joint statement by the Moroccan Office, the Nigerian Oil company and The ECOWAS revealed that "the
pipeline will be installed along the West African coast from Nigeria to Morocco.", and that it will be connected to
the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline and the European gas network. The signature of this memorandum confirms
the commitment of ECOWAS and all the countries involved to contribute to the feasibility of this important
project.
The project is being carried out in a geopolitical climate characterized by strong international demand for gas
and oil and soaring prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Nigeria-Morocco project will cross 13
African countries on the Atlantic coast and will supply the enclaved states of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.
As a reminder the ECOWAS Group comprises 15 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire,
Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
Nigeria has the largest proven gas reserves in Africa, about 200 trillion cubic feet, most of which is untapped.
The government says it wants to commercialize more of this resource to replace crude oil as the country's main
commodity. Nigeria's oil production is in decline mainly due to a lack of investment in new capacity.
Finally, this project will permit fuel to be shipped to Spain and the rest of Europe.

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