NNPC signs gas pipeline agreement with Morocco, Benin

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says it has signed four memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with five African countries as part of the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline (NMGP) project.

The deal was sealed with Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Benin, and Guinea, the national oil firm said.

In a statement on Friday, Garba Deen Muhammad, spokesperson of NNPC, said the MoUs were signed at the headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja on Friday.

He said the signings took place on the sidelines of the steering committee meeting for the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project, attended by representatives of ECOWAS and all the participating countries.

According to Muhammad, the participating countries include Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco.

“Today, another important milestone was achieved at the headquarters of the ECOWAS as four significant MoU related to the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project were signed. Additionally, the project’s steering committee convened to discuss the progress of the project and its strategic direction,” the statement reads.

Muhammed said the MOUs were respectively signed between the NNPC and the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) of Morocco, the National Company of Petroleum Operations of Cote d’Ivoire (PETROCI), the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), the National Hydrocarbons Company of Benin (SNH-Benin), and the National Petroleum Company of the Republic of Guinea (SONAP).

He said the agreements, similar to those 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; reaffirm the commitment of the parties to the project.

Once completed, the NNPC spokesperson said, the project would enhance the monetisation of the natural gas resources of the affected African countries and also offer a new alternative export route to Europe.

“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,” he 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.”

In his remarks, Mele Kyari, group chief executive officer (CEO) of NNPC, thanked the administration of President Bola Tinubu for entrusting the firm with the strategic project as the national energy company.

He added that, as a commercial enterprise, NNPC sees the project as “an opportunity to monetise Nigeria’s abundant hydrocarbon resources by expanding access to energy to support economic growth, industrialisation, and job creation across the African continent and beyond”.

Also speaking, Amina Benkhadra, director-general of ONHYM, said 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 NMGP is a 5,600km gas pipeline project, traversing 13 African countries, including Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d’ lvoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, Senegal, and Mauritania.