Another important milestone has been achieved in the oil and gas sector as four significant Memoranda of Understanding, MoUs, relating to the Nigeria Morocco Gas Pipeline Project was signed on Friday at the headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS in Abuja.
A statement released by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer,Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Limited, Garba Deen Muhammad disclosed that the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project Steering Committee also convened to discuss the progress of the Project and its strategic direction.
These tripartite MoUs were respectively and successively signed between the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC, and the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines, ONHYM, of Morocco on one hand, and the Société Nationale des Opérations Pétrolières of Cote d’Ivoire, the National Oil Company of Liberia, the Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures of Benin, and the Société Nationale des Pétroles of the Republic of Guinea on the other hand, Muhammad said.
He further added that similar MoUs has been signed with ECOWAS on September 15, 2022, Mauritania and Senegal on October 15, 2022, and The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, and Ghana on December 5, 2022
The NNPCL spokesperson said the MoUs reaffirm the commitment of the Parties to this strategic project. Once completed, he added, the project will enhance the monetization of the natural gas resources of the affected African countries and also offer a new alternative export route to Europe.
Credible News reports that the signings took place on the sidelines of the Steering Committee meeting of the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project, which was attended by representatives from ECOWAS and all the participating countries, including Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco.
This significant infrastructure project will contribute to accelerating access to energy for all, improving the living conditions of the populations, integrating the economies of the sub-region, and mitigating desertification, Muhammad stated.
He further said it will achieve these goals through the provision of sustainable and reliable gas supply that aligns with the continent’s new environmental commitments, while providing Africa with a new economic, political, and strategic dimension.
The Group CEO, NNPC Ltd, Mr. Mele Kyari thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigerian Government for entrusting NNPC Ltd. with this strategic project as the National Energy Company.
He added that “as a commercial enterprise, NNPC Ltd. sees this project as an opportunity to monetise Nigeria’s abundant hydrocarbon resources, by expanding Access to energy to support economic growth, industrialization, and job creation across the African continent and beyond”.
The Director General of ONHYM, Amina Benkhadra said that the gathering represents a progressive step in ensuring social and economic development through energy security and accessibility geared towards attaining total development of Africa by Africans.
The ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitization, Mr. Sédiko Douka said the gas pipeline project is significant as it will help strengthen the region’s electricity production/generation capacity, stimulate industrial and agricultural development, and contribute to the energy transition by using a source of energy that is cleaner than other fossil fuels.
Credible News reports that the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project is an initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco that was conceived during the visit of King Mohammed VI of Morocco to Nigeria in December 2016.
