Leila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, chaired on Friday November 1 the Moroccan delegation which took part in the joint ministerial meeting organized by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the unique African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (Nigeria-Morocco) project in Abuja, Nigeria. She was accompanied by Amina Benkhadra, Director General of the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), Moha Ouali Tagma, Moroccan ambassador to Nigeria as well as senior officials from the ministry.
In a press release sent to Hespress FRit is indicated that during this meeting, Benali reaffirmed Morocco’s commitment to the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline project, aimed at strengthening energy ties between West African countries and Morocco. She 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 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 across 13 countries“, explained the minister, noting that this project is above all a response to the global recognition, particularly in Europe, that the last reservoir of productive capacity for the decades to come is Africa.
Thanking the various partners who adhered to this vision by contributing to the perseverance necessary for the continuation of this initiative, Benali indicated that from now on, the project is called the Africa Atlantic Gas Pipeline, in reference to the Atlantic vision of King Mohammed VI, aimed at offering 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 of ministers in charge of Energy and Hydrocarbons, extended to the ministers of Morocco and Mauritania, was preceded by a meeting of sectoral experts, guaranteeing in-depth preparation of the subjects to be examined, reports the Benali ministry.
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.
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.
Benali’s ministry recalls that the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline project aims to promote economic development and facilitate access of the countries concerned to energy resources, while strengthening South-South cooperation, in accordance with the strategic vision of Sa Majesty King Mohammed VI for sustainable and integrated energy development in Africa, particularly along the Atlantic coast. Launched at the initiative of the Sovereign and former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in December 2016, this project has already reached several important milestones, including the signing of memorandums of understanding between Morocco, Nigeria and the other countries concerned, as well as as the completion of the technical studies essential to its development.
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