The African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, AAGP, Project has recorded a major milestone after heads of state of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, signed the Intergovernmental Agreement, IGA, for the multibillion-dollar project at the regional bloc’s summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The agreement strengthens the legal and institutional framework for the project, which is expected to connect West Africa’s vast natural gas reserves to regional and international markets while promoting energy security, industrialisation and economic integration across the continent.
According to a statement issued by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Limited, Mr. Andy Odeh, the signing gives practical effect to the approval granted at the 66th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government held in Abuja in December 2024.
It also concludes the institutional process coordinated by ECOWAS following the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding between Nigeria and Morocco, reaffirming the commitment of participating countries to the project.
The African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, jointly promoted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC, Limited and Morocco’s Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines, ONHYM, is designed to transport about 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually through a pipeline stretching nearly 6,900 kilometres along the Atlantic coast.
The project, backed by the governments of Nigeria, Morocco, Mauritania and ECOWAS member states, is expected to improve energy access, boost electricity generation, stimulate industrial development and strengthen economic integration across West Africa, the Sahel and Europe.
A subsequent signing ceremony involving the Kingdom of Morocco and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania is expected to complete the project’s intergovernmental framework.
Originally conceived under the leadership of former President Muhammadu Buhari and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, the initiative continues to enjoy the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and is being implemented with the backing of ECOWAS, participating countries and international development partners.
The statement noted that significant progress has already been recorded, including the completion of Front-End Engineering Design, FEED, studies, route reconnaissance surveys, environmental and social impact assessments, as well as the development of key legal, commercial and regulatory frameworks required for implementation.
The pipeline will traverse 13 Atlantic coastal countries from Nigeria to Morocco, with interconnections to landlocked Sahel nations.
It will also link with the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline, creating a strategic energy corridor capable of supplying up to 15 billion cubic metres of gas annually to Morocco and European markets.
Speaking on the development, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, described the signing as a defining milestone that provides the sovereign backing required to move the project from planning to execution.
He said the project aligns with President Tinubu’s vision of unlocking Nigeria’s gas potential, adding that the infrastructure would enable about three billion cubic feet of Nigerian gas per day to reach domestic and export markets.
Also speaking, the Director General of ONHYM, Mrs. Amina Benkhadra, described the agreement as another major step towards delivering the strategic project, noting that it reflects the shared vision of King Mohammed VI and President Tinubu for a more integrated and economically connected Atlantic Africa.
Upon completion of the remaining intergovernmental processes, the project partners will establish the Pipeline Higher Authority in Abuja and the AAGP Project Company in Casablanca to coordinate implementation and prepare for the Final Investment Decision, FID.
NNPC Ltd and ONHYM reaffirmed their commitment to delivering the landmark energy project in line with global standards of technical excellence, environmental sustainability and good corporate governance.
