The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project, (NMGP), has attained another milestone following the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, on the Project by Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Morocco and four West African countries.

During a ceremony held in the Moroccan capital, Rabat last week Monday, Nigeria’s NNPC Ltd, Morocco’s ONHYM and the National Oil Companies and commercial entities of Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone executed the MoU.
Speaking on behalf of NNPC Ltd, the Group CEO, Mallam Mele Kyari, said Africa stands to benefit immensely from the execution or the project which extends beyond the supply or gas to energize the countries along the route.

According to Kyari, “other benefits include the creation of wealth and improvement in the standard of living of our Citizenry, increased cooperation between our countries while mitigating against desertification and other benefits to be derived from reduction in carbon emission.”

The GCEO who described natural gas as a critical fuel in the transition towards net-zero, stressed that NNPC Ltd. is well positioned to progress the NMGP Project by leveraging its experience and technical capabilities, ranging from gas production, processing, transmission and marketing as well as its vast experience in executing major gas infrastructure projects in Nigeria.

“NNPC Ltd. will facilitate the continuous supply of gas and provide other enablers such as the required land for the first compressor station to be deployed in Nigeria, which is among the thirteen stations earmarked along the pipeline route, he observed.

The 5,600km Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline will span 11 West African countries along the Atlantic coast and is expected to cost $25 billion. With a projected capacity of approximately 3 billion cubic feet per day upon completion, the aim of the pipeline is to transport gas from Nigeria to Europe while supporting auxiliary energy infrastructure in West Africa and ensuring further integration and cooperation within the region.

The General-Director, PDSL, Foday B. L Mansaray, said Sierra Leone was excited about the opportunities inherent in the NMGP partnership which he said has reinforced the Virtues of greater collaboration that will further develop the African continent.

The signing ceremony was held on 5 December in Morocco’s capital city of Rabat, and was attended by Mele Kyari, Group CEO of NNPC Limited; Dr. Amina Benkhadra, General Director of Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM); Babourcarr Njie, Managing Director of The Gambia National Petroleum Corporation; Celedonio Placido Vieira, General Director of Guinea-Bissau’s NOC, PetroGuin; Amadou Doumbouya, Director General of Guinea’s National Company of Oil; Foday Mansaray II, Director General of the Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone; and Dr. Ben K.D. Asante, CEO of the Ghana National Gas Company.