The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has been directed by the Federal Government to implement a deal on a gas pipeline to Europe through Morocco.
As the European Union looks to wean itself off Russian supplies dueto the invasion of Ukraine, Africa’s gas resources have continued to be in the spotlight.
After the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, the Petroleum Minister for State, Timipre Sylva, told reporters in Abuja late Wednesday that approval for a memorandum of understanding on the gas project with West African regional bloc ECOWAS had been given.
Nigeria remains Africa’s top oil producer and a major supplier of gas and liquefied natural gas.
“This gas line will take gas to 15 West African countries and to Morocco and through Morocco, to Spain and to Europe,” Sylva explained, adding that the project was in a design phase and details including cost and funding were still being worked out.
“It is only after the engineering design of the pipeline that we will know exactly (what) the cost of the pipeline will be. When that time comes, we will be talking about funding,” the Petroleum Minister said.
Recall that Morocco’s King Mohammed VI and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari had four years ago agreed to move ahead with the mega-project to carry gas along the Atlantic Coast, after an initial deal was signed in 2016.
The two countries plan to extend the pipeline that has been pumping gas from Nigeria to Benin, Togo and Ghana since 2010.