Five tripartite Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed on Monday in Rabat as part of the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project.
These MoUs were signed respectively and successively between Morocco and Nigeria, on the one hand, and by Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Ghana, on the other hand, reports MAP.
The first memorandum was signed by the Moroccan National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) and the National Nigerian Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) with Gambia National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC-Gambia).
The second memorandum was signed by ONHYM and the National Nigerian Petroleum Company Limited “NNPC” with Petroguin-Guinea-Bissau, while the third memorandum was signed by ONHYM and the National Nigerian Petroleum Company Limited “NNPC” with the National Petroleum Company “SONAP” of the Republic of Guinea.
The fourth memorandum was signed by ONHYM and the National Nigerian Petroleum Company Limited “NNPC” with Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone “PDSL”, while the fifth memorandum was signed by ONHYM and the National Nigerian Petroleum Company Limited” NNPC” with Ghana National Gas Company “GNGC”.
The Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project is “on the right track”, said the director general of the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), Amina Benkhadra.
The Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project is on the right track thanks to the enlightened vision and High Directions of HM King Mohammed VI and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, assured Ms. Benkhadra in a statement to the press at the end of of the signing ceremony of the five MoUs between Morocco and Nigeria, on the one hand, and Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Ghana, on the other hand.
The signature by these countries of these memoranda reflects their determination to support this project which will be beneficial for a region of some 400 million inhabitants, she added, recalling that this project aims to ensure integration between the countries of the continent and accelerate their socio-economic development and clean energy supply.
Welcoming the support of the Nigerian company (The National Nigerian Petroleum Company Limited “NNPC”) for the realization of this major project, Ms. Benkhadra stressed that the signatory countries are aware of the strategic value of this gas pipeline and its importance. major for the development of the continent.
For his part, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Nigerian Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari, indicated that these memoranda will allow each signatory country to provide support for the construction of the infrastructure, both for the pipeline and for the gas market.
These memorandums of understanding, like the MoUs signed with ECOWAS on September 15, 2022 and those signed with Mauritania and Senegal on October 15, 2022, confirm the commitment of the Parties within the framework of this strategic project which, Once completed, will supply gas to all West African countries and will also enable a new export route to Europe, according to a joint communiqué from the signatory parties.
This infrastructure will contribute to the improvement of the living conditions of the populations, the integration of the economies of the sub-region and the mitigation of desertification thanks to a sustainable and reliable supply of gas respecting the continent’s commitments in terms of protection of the environment, adds the same source, noting that the project will also give Africa a new economic, political and strategic dimension.
This gas pipeline will run along the West African coast from Nigeria, passing through Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania to Morocco. It will be connected to the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline and to the European gas network. This infrastructure will also supply the landlocked states of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.