Barely a month after Algeria kicked off work on its section of a proposed 4,100km long Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) project involving Nigeria-Niger-Algeria, leaders of the West African sub-region have unanimously approved take-off of the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) also known as the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP).

The Nigeria-Morocco pipeline which aims at providing a market outlet to the country’s gas, through the North African country, is in addition to another agreement with Algeria and the Niger Republic also intended to facilitate a trade route to Europe for Nigerian gas.

The approval followed the signing of a landmark agreement during the just-concluded 69th Ordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government Meeting in Freetown, Sierra Leone, last Sunday.

The $27 billion cross-border pipeline project is projected to position gas as the backbone of Africa’s industrialisation and economic transformation. The system will have a transport capacity of 30 billion cubic metres annually, with up to 15 billion cubic metres for export.

A project company is expected to be established in Casablanca, Morocco.

The 6,000km pipeline is expected to pass through 13 West African countries, along the Atlantic coast before reaching Europe via Morocco.

The project remains in the development phase.The project is expected to pass through 13 West African countries, along the Atlantic coast before reaching Europe via Morocco.

Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Senegal, and Mauritania, as well as other countries along the designated coastline route are expected to benefit from access to Nigerian gas.

The project is estimated to cost about $27 billion.The regional body in giving its backing to the proposed NMGP project, described it as being designed to transport Nigerian natural gas through West Africa to Morocco and eventually connect with European markets, just as they highlighted the importance of strengthening energy cooperation and regional integration.

The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project will link Nigeria’s gas reserves with Morocco, where the gas can be connected to existing infrastructure serving European markets.

Countries along the route are also expected to benefit from access to Nigeria’s natural gas, which could support electricity generation, industrial development and energy security.

Other participating countries along the route could also benefit through improved energy access, infrastructure development, employment opportunities and potential economic activities linked to the pipeline.

The pipeline is expected to carry Nigerian gas northwards after passing through coastal West African nations, with Morocco serving as the gateway for possible exports to Europe.

Nigeria, which has one of the world’s largest natural gas reserves, is expected to gain a new export route for its gas resources while strengthening its position as a major energy supplier in Africa.

The project ect was first introduced through an agreement between Nigeria and Morocco in 2016. Since then, it has received support from regional and international partners, with feasibility studies and technical assessments carried out to determine its viability.

The project still requires final investment decisions, financing arrangements and completion of technical and regulatory processes before full implementation.

The NMGP project is part of broader efforts by African countries to use the continent’s natural resources to improve energy access while creating stronger links between African economies and global markets.

Meanwhile, the Oracle Intelligence recalls that last month, June, Algeria officially kicked off work at its own section of the 4,100km long Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) project.

The TSGP is a separate, competing 4, 128km pipeline project running from Nigeria through Niger Republic and Algeria with an estimated cost of between $10 billion to $13 billion.

The TSGP project is running side-by-side with the $25 billion pipeline project; the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) also referred to as the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP).

The announcement came at the close of the fifth ministerial meeting of the project’s steering committee, held in Algiers in the presence of the energy ministers of Algeria, Niger and Nigeria.

According to a statement from Algeria’s hydrocarbons ministry, the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline is part of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

According to the statement, the three countries involved said the pipeline would strengthen Africa’s role in global energy markets while promoting investment, economic growth and regional integration.

Stretching 4,128 kilometres, the TSGP is estimated to cost around $13 billion and is considered “one of the most strategically important energy projects on the African continent.”

It aims to carry up to 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year from Nigeria, through Niger, to Algeria, enabling exports to European and international markets.

The project dates to the early 2000s.In 2009, Nigeria’s NNPC Ltd, Algeria’s Sonatrach and Niger’s Société nigérienne du pétrole (Sonidep) signed an intergovernmental agreement governing its implementation.

However, after years of stalled progress, the project was revived in July 2022 when the energy ministers of the three countries signed a memorandum of understanding in Abuja to update technical studies and accelerate its completion.

Additional agreements were reached in 2025 to update the feasibility study.The pipeline is expected to deliver significant economic benefits for the three partner countries.

Nigeria holds the continent’s largest natural gas reserves, estimated at 215.10 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) as of January 1, 2026, up from around 210 Tcf a year earlier, according to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

The pipeline would provide a new export route for its natural gas and boost revenues through improved access to European markets.Niger is expected to benefit from transit fees, job creation and related infrastructure development.

Algeria, which already has a developed energy industry and exported 49 billion cubic metres of gas in 2024, would strengthen its position as an energy hub linking Africa and Europe, drawing on its existing gas network and export infrastructure.

The steering committee’s ministerial meeting also reviewed progress on the project, including a presentation of findings from a feasibility study conducted by consulting firm Penspen and an assessment of implementation of the roadmap adopted at previous meetings held in Niamey, Abuja and Algiers.