ECOWAS member states, Morocco, and Mauritania are making significant strides in the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline Project (AAGP), as government representatives and corporate stakeholders met in Abuja to review the draft Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) and Host Government Agreement (HGA).
The project combines the 975 million West African Gas Pipeline Extension Project WAGPEP) and the 25 billion Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project (NMGP), a decision made last year by ECOWAS Heads of State.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, described the AAGP as a transformative step for African energy infrastructure. He emphasized the importance of the agreements for enhancing hydrocarbon trade, expanding natural gas access, and increasing Africa’s presence in global gas markets.
The pipeline, connecting Nigeria through several ECOWAS nations to Morocco, is expected to unlock markets and boost energy security, driving economic growth, industrialization, and job creation.
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Moroccan Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Laila Benali, and ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy, and Digitalisation, Sediko Douka, reiterated the project’s potential to enhance energy access across 16 countries.
NNPC Limited’s Group CEO, Mallam Mele Kyari, marked the meeting as a significant advance for the project, with plans for the pipeline to connect at least 13 nations in shared prosperity and development.