The Summit of Heads of State and Government of the member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) hosted the signing, this Sunday in Freetown, Sierra Leone, of the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) governing the development of the Nigeria-Morocco African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) Nigeria-Morocco, an energy infrastructure project spanning approximately 6,800 kilometers designed to transport natural gas from Nigeria to Morocco, before connecting to the European gas network
This signing marks the ECOWAS member states’ accession to the Nigeria-Morocco African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, an initiative spearheaded by King Mohammed VI and the late President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, and which enjoys the renewed support of current President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This project is being developed by the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.). This significant milestone achieved in Freetown paves the way for the next stages of the project’s launch, which will primarily include the creation of the project company, to be headquartered in Casablanca, as well as the establishment of the Pipeline Higher Authority, which is expected to be headquartered in Abuja, prior to the mobilization of investors and the preparation of the Final Investment Decision (FID).
This process will conclude with the joint signing by the Kingdom of Morocco and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania—both non-ECOWAS member states—during a separate ceremony to be held at a later date, in the presence of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
It will have a transport capacity of 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, of which up to 15 billion cubic meters could be exported to Morocco and Europe, while the remainder will be allocated to regional markets.
With an estimated investment of about $25 billion, the African-Atlantic Gas Pipeline aims to create an integrated regional natural gas market in West Africa and to boost electricity generation, industrialization, and the development of the continent’s natural resources.
The first sections are scheduled to become operational at the beginning of the next decade. Launched as a joint strategic initiative between Morocco and Nigeria, the African-Atlantic Gas Pipeline is now establishing itself as a project supported by all of West Africa.
The participation of ECOWAS member states in the project strengthens its political and institutional foundation, while reinforcing the initial momentum provided by its two founding countries, which view Africa’s energy security as an essential driver of sovereignty, industrialization, and shared prosperity.
By formalizing the collective accession of ECOWAS member states, the Freetown summit confirms the African scope of this initiative and its central role in the continent’s integration policies. ONHYM and NNPC Ltd. indicated that the main technical, environmental, and engineering studies have already been completed, which will allow the project to gradually enter its operational development phase following the signing of this agreement in Rabat by Morocco and Mauritania.
Beyond its role in energy, this infrastructure aims to become a true development corridor connecting African economies, thereby strengthening their integration and competitiveness.
