ETAFAT, the company handling the multi-billion dollar Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project has reported that the implementation recorded a major milestone following the commencement of topographic surveys in the northern section.
The company confirmed that surveys covering Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal were flagged off after a meeting between Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The officials said the initial studies were already in an advanced stage, marking a crucial milestone for the ambitious project, which, when completed, will become the largest oil pipeline in Africa.
When completed, the pipeline will stretch along the West African coast, connecting Nigeria to Morocco and Europe through Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, and Senegal and also connect to the existing Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline.
The project is expected to significantly impact African development, fostering economic growth and regional integration.
Commenting on the project, King Mohammed VI of Morocco underscored its importance in a recent speech, calling the pipeline “more than just a bilateral project” but a strategic initiative for the entire West African region.
“This is a project for peace, for African economic integration, and for co-development: a project for the present and for future generations.” the monarch added.
Last year, Dutch subsea solutions company, N-Sea, began seabed inspections in West Africa to support the project even as Nigeria announced plans to begin construction this year.
Funding for the $25 billion project was secured through four memoranda of understanding signed in June 2023 with multilateral finance institutions in collaboration with other investors.
