The Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, is currently utilising all available diplomatic channels to ensure that he rallies his colleagues in the ECOWAS sub-region, to buy into the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project.
In December this year, Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), are expected to approve the Host Government Agreement (HGA) for the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) project.
The sub-regional body validated the HGA for the AAGP last October. The AAGP is, however, a 7,000 kilometer pipeline that is connecting Nigeria to Morocco, and delivering natural gas to ECOWAS member states and Mauritania.
The project was originally conceived in 2016, but was revived this year. The goals of the pipeline include: Providing Morocco with energy security by bypassing regional rival Algeria; supporting economic, industrial, and agricultural growth; contributing to global climate change efforts by increasing natural gas availability; and creating a united energy market across West Africa and beyond
The pipeline will run along the West African coast, passing through Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, and Senegal. Once completed, it will connect to the existing Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline.
At a joint meeting of ECOWAS ministers in charge of energy and hydrocarbons in Abuja, Ekpo stressed that by linking the natural gas reserves in Nigeria to North Africa and Europe, this initiative will expand opportunities for economic growth, industrialization, and job creation, benefiting communities across the linkage countries.
The focus of the Abuja meeting was on some strategic institutional documents that are pivotal to regional cooperation and the advancement of the hydrocarbon sector.
These, according to the gas minister, include the Draft Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) and HGA for the AAGP.
He explained that the merger of the West Africa Gas Pipeline Extension Project (WAGPEP) and the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project (NMGP) into the AAGP is sequel to the decision at the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government of July 9, 2023.
That decision, according to Ekpo, “reflects our region’s strategic vision for a more connected and economically vibrant pipeline network. The Intergovernmental Agreement will serve as the framework guiding relations between the states involved, ensuring cohesive collaboration and equitable terms, while the Host Government Agreement forms the foundation of a mutually beneficial partnership that promises stability and predictability in our investment climate.
“These draft institutional agreements should be an affirmation of our commitment to enhancing hydrocarbon and energy trade within ECOWAS and other African countries, facilitating access to natural gas across the region, and expanding our footprint in global gas markets.”