Sopuruchi Onwuka

Countries on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea (GOG) have finally reached a definitive agreement to provide a safe and sustainable pathway for the flow natural gas from Niger Delta in Nigeria through several African countries to the viable European market.

Ad >>>

The nations which are already in various multilateral and regional economic agreements hosted in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) reached four significant Memoranda of Understanding related to the Nigeria Morocco Gas Pipeline Project.

According to the Group General Manager in charge of Corporate Communications at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mr Garba Deen Muhammad, stated in a release that the project’s Steering Committee convened at the headquarters of ECOWAS in Abuja to discuss the progress of the project and its strategic direction.

According to Mr Muhammad, four Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) were signed on Friday as part of the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project.

He said the tripartite MOU were respectively and successively signed between the NNPC and the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM) of Morocco on one hand, and the Société Nationale des Opérations Pétrolières of Cote d’Ivoire (PETROCI), the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), the Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures of Benin (SNH-Benin), and the Société Nationale des Pétroles of the Republic of Guinea (SONAP) on the other hand.

“These Memoranda of Understanding, similar to those signed with ECOWAS on September 15, 2022, Mauritania and Senegal on October 15, 2022, and The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, and Ghana on December 5, 2022, reaffirm the commitment of the Parties to this strategic project. Once completed, the project will enhance the monetization of the natural gas resources of the affected African countries   and also offer a new alternative export route to Europe.

“The signings took place on the sidelines of the Steering Committee meeting of the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project, which was attended by representatives from ECOWAS and all the participating countries, including Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco.

“This significant infrastructure project will contribute to accelerating access to energy for all, improving the living conditions of the populations, integrating the economies of the sub-region, and mitigating desertification. It will achieve these goals through the provision of sustainable and reliable gas supply that aligns with the continent’s new environmental commitments, while providing Africa with a new economic, political, and strategic dimension,” he narrated.

In his remarks, GCEO NNPC Limited, Mr. Mele Kyari, thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigerian government for entrusting the company with this strategic project as the National energy company.

“As a commercial enterprise, NNPC Ltd sees this project as an opportunity to monetize Nigeria’s abundant hydrocarbon resources, by expanding Access to energy to support economic growth, industrialization, and job creation across the African continent and beyond,” he stated.

Also speaking, the Director General of ONHYM, Amina Benkhadra said that the gathering represents a progressive step in ensuring social and economic development through energy security and accessibility geared towards attaining total development of Africa by Africans.

In his remarks, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitization, Mr Sédiko Douka said the gas pipeline project is significant as it will help strengthen the region’s electricity production/generation capacity, stimulate industrial and agricultural development, and contribute to the energy transition by using a source of energy that is cleaner than other fossil fuels.