West African leaders have signed an agreement approving the construction of a massive gas pipeline project linking Nigeria to Morocco during a summit of the regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States, held in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. The roughly 6,000-kilometre energy infrastructure is designed to cross 13 countries along the Atlantic coast of Africa, transporting natural gas from Nigeria to Morocco before connecting directly to the Maghreb-Europe pipeline network.
Speaking during the summit, the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States, Julius Maada Bio, expressed optimism about the timeline and execution of the transnational energy project. He stated, “We have already signed the West Africa-Morocco gas pipeline,” and added, “Don’t be surprised when the gas comes your way.”
In a joint statement, Morocco’s state hydrocarbons agency, the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited noted that the infrastructure initiative aims to link the abundant gas resources of West Africa to major regional markets. The corporate bodies added that the strategic energy corridor is expected to strengthen the integration of African energy markets and create a new development corridor linking West Africa, the Sahel, Morocco, and Europe.
The execution plan for the trans-continental project involves several institutional arrangements before actual work commences on the site. According to the development roadmap outlined by the partners, the next operational phases include the creation of a specialized project company based in Casablanca, Morocco, alongside a dedicated governing authority headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria. These structures are expected to be fully established before global investors are formally brought on board and a final investment decision is reached by the stakeholders.
An official source from the Moroccan National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines disclosed that actual physical construction of the mega pipeline is projected to commence in 2028. The framework also targets the commencement of the first commercial gas deliveries by 2031. The pipeline initiative was initially conceptualized and proposed during a state visit by the Moroccan monarch, King Mohammed VI, to Abuja in 2016, with the total financial requirement for the project estimated at $27,000,000,000.
The renewed momentum and geopolitical urgency behind the project have been partly driven by recent energy supply shifts within the region. The acceleration of the pipeline gained traction following the decision of Algeria in 2022 to stop supplying natural gas to Spain through the Moroccan territory, a development that occurred after diplomatic relations between Algiers and Rabat completely deteriorated.
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