The African Atlantic Gas Pipeline project (Nigeria-Morocco) aims to enable the emergence of real prosperity for Africa, said, Friday in Abuja, the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Ms. Leila Benali.
Ms. Benali, who took part in a meeting of energy ministers of member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), dedicated to the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline project (Nigeria-Morocco), indicated that this strategic project aims to enable the emergence of real prosperity for Africa and its populations by locally exploiting African resources, developing industrial infrastructure and creating jobs.
The Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline has always been much more than a simple pipeline, she stressed, affirming that it is an eminently political project, the idea of which is supported by HM King Mohammed VI and the Presidents of Nigeria.
“Their support for this vision has never wavered, because it is not just an infrastructure crossing several African countries over 6,000 kilometers, with a capacity of 15 to 30 billion cubic meters of gas, or even “modern access to energy for nearly 400 million people spread across 13 countries,” explained the minister, noting that this project is above all a response to global recognition, particularly in Europe, that the last reservoir of productive capacity for decades to come is Africa.
Thanking the various partners who adhered to this vision by contributing to the perseverance necessary to pursue this initiative, Ms. Benali announced that from now on, the project is called the Africa Atlantic Gas Pipeline, in reference to the Atlantic vision of HM the King. , aiming to offer the countries of the Sahel a gateway to the Atlantic and an opening to prosperity.
Furthermore, she stressed that this meeting is an opportunity to make concrete progress towards the financial and technical means which will make this project viable and feasible, including renewable energy projects essential in the Moroccan energy strategy.
Transnational infrastructures like this gas pipeline require structured, continuous and rigorous financing, she continued, specifying that once operational, this infrastructure must be able to meet the energy supply needs of the continent and its partners.
This meeting, to which Mauritania was also invited, aims to adopt the intergovernmental agreement on the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (Nigeria-Morocco) which will be submitted for signature by the Heads of State of the ECOWAS member countries, of Morocco and Mauritania.
Organized by the ECOWAS commission, this joint meeting of Ministers in charge of Energy and Hydrocarbons, extended to the Ministers in charge of Hydrocarbons of Morocco and Mauritania, was preceded by a meeting of sectoral experts.
At this meeting, Ministers adopted the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline and the Host Government Agreement (HGA) annexed to the IGA. They also agreed to organize an official signing ceremony of the Intergovernmental Agreement during the next ECOWAS Summit in December 2024 or another date which will be limited to the first quarter of 2025.
The Abuja meeting comes after a regional workshop to review and validate the Host Government Agreement (HGA), organized from October 8 to 11 in Lagos, Nigeria, following many rounds of negotiations of the provisions of the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) and the Host Government Agreement (HGA), organized in Rabat, Marrakech and Abidjan.
The organization of these working meetings and regional workshops on the draft Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) and the draft Host Government Agreement (HGA) is part of the strategic Africa Atlantic Gas Pipeline project, launched following the visionary initiative of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the former President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari, and supported by the current Nigerian President Bola Tinbu.
Chaired by Ms. Leila Benali, the Moroccan delegation participating in this meeting includes the Director General of the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), Ms. Amina Benkhadra and the Moroccan ambassador to Nigeria, Moha Ouali Tagma.
With MAP
