One of Africa’s largest energy infrastructure initiatives has received official approval at the highest level, as West African leaders formally backed the long-planned Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline project.
Following the signing ceremony in Freetown on Sunday evening, Sierra Leone President and current Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Julius Maada Bio, joked: “Don’t be surprised when the gas comes your way.”
The proposed 6,000km (3,700-mile) pipeline will pass along the Atlantic coastline of 14 African countries, transporting Nigerian gas to Morocco before connecting with Europe’s existing gas network through Spain.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2028, with the project expected to cost about $25bn (£19bn).
Energy expert and former Nigerian government adviser Charles Majomi said the pipeline represents a shift away from the current situation where African resources are often exported for processing and later returned at significantly higher prices.
He described the existing model as a “complete devaluation of the resource that is so fortunately endowed in places like Nigeria and other countries,” adding that it must come to an end.
Majomi argued that if properly managed, the pipeline could drive industrial development across the continent while strengthening Africa’s influence globally.
“In terms of Africa’s regional security and its ability to negotiate and have a seat at the global table, if you will, it does need this measure of usefulness to countries [in] Europe and Asia potentially,” he said.
Prof Ganiyat Adejoke Adesina-Uthman of the National Open University of Nigeria said the project could also expand Africa’s access to international markets.
“Beyond energy security, it will open up Africa as a corridor to international markets,” she stated.
She added that the pipeline represents a demonstration of what Africa can accomplish when nations cooperate and pursue shared goals.
