Nigeria, Morocco Gas Pipeline Kick Off ...As NNPC, ONHYM, ECOWAS Sign MoU In Morocco
Nigeria and Morocco have recorded a major boost in gas infrastructure development with the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The 5,600km Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) project is aimed at monetizing the nation’s abundant gas resources.
At a ceremony held at Hotel Sofitel, Rabat, Moroccan Capital, the two countries and ECOWAS executed the MoU on the project, with a firm commitment to ensure a smooth take-off and sustainability of the project due to its great economic value to the entire sub-region.
Signing the agreement on behalf of Nigeria, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Mallam Mele Kyari, described the development as a very important milestone in the history of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry, noting that the government of Nigeria and Morocco stand to benefit immensely from the execution of the project, which extends beyond the supply of gas to energizing the countries along the route.
“Some of the benefits include the creation of wealth and improvement in the standard of living, integration of the economies within the region, mitigation against desertification, and other benefits that will accrue as a result of reduction in carbon emission,” Kyari added.
Kyari said that NNPC Ltd is well positioned to progress the project by leveraging its experience and technical capabilities ranging from gas production, processing, transmission, and marketing as well as its vast experience in executing major gas infrastructure projects in Nigeria.
The project when completed will supply about three billion standard cubic feet of gas per day (3bscfd) along the West African Coast from Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d’ Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania to Morocco.
Conceived during the visit of King Mohammed VI of Morocco to Nigeria in December 2016, the NMG Pipeline will originate from Brass Island (Nigeria) and terminate in North of Morocco, where it will be connected to the existing Maghreb European Pipeline (MEP) that originates from Algeria via Morocco to Spain.
Signing the MoU with the NNPC GCEO were Dr. Amina Benkhadra, Director General of Morocco’s National Office for Hydrocarbons & Mines (ONHYM) signed on behalf of her country and Mr. Sediko Douka, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy & Digitalization signed on behalf of the sub-regional organization.
