A delegation from the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), led by Managing Director Amina Benkhadra, held talks in Abuja on Friday with the Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) on the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project.
During the meeting, which took place in the presence of Morocco’s ambassador to Nigeria, Moha Ou Ali Tagma, the two parties expressed their satisfaction with the project’s progress, and reaffirmed their desire to continue their exemplary collaboration to complete this structuring and integrating project.
ONHYM’s Managing Director also took part in the Steering Committee meeting organized by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
During this meeting, Benkhadra, on behalf of ONHYM, and Maalam Mele Kyari, NNPC Chairman and CEO, signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and Benin for the construction of the Morocco-Nigeria Gas Pipeline.
These memorandums of understanding, like the MoUs signed with ECOWAS on September 15, 2022, and those signed with Mauritania and Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Ghana, confirm the Parties’ commitment to the realization of this strategic project, which, once completed, will supply gas to all West African countries, as well as providing a new export route to Europe.
The project will contribute to Africa’s development, improve living conditions for its people, further integrate the economies of the sub-region and the African continent, and give Africa a new economic, political and strategic dimension.
The pipeline will run along the West African coast from Nigeria, through Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania to Morocco, and will be connected to the Maghreb Europe Pipeline and the European gas network.
The Nigeria-Morocco pipeline will also supply gas to Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.
The MoUs signed with all ECOWAS member countries and with Mauritania are also intended to merge the Nigeria-Morocco Pipeline project with the gas pipeline projects to serve Community member countries.
The meeting also examined the legal, financial and institutional arrangements for the project.
Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse