Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have signed the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) Project.

A statement issued on Monday by Andy Odeh, Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), stated that the development marks a major milestone towards the implementation of the gas pipeline initiative.

According to Odeh, the agreement was signed during the ECOWAS Summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

“This project is designed to harness West Africa’s natural gas resources, connect them to key demand centres, integrate African energy markets and establish an energy corridor linking West Africa, the Sahel, Morocco and Europe,” the statement quoted Odeh as saying.

Odeh also said in the statement that the pipeline, with a projected capacity of 30 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas annually, would stretch about 6,900 kilometres along the West African Atlantic coast.

“The project has the backing of Nigeria, Morocco, ECOWAS member states and Mauritania, and is being jointly developed by NNPC Ltd. and Morocco’s Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM).

“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 concluded the institutional process coordinated by ECOWAS following the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding signed by Nigeria and Morocco, reaffirming the commitment of participating countries to the project,”

The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Mr Bashir Ojulari, was quoted as describing the signing as a significant step towards the project’s implementation.

“The signing by West African Heads of State provides the sovereign framework required to move the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline from vision to execution.

“The project is central to unlocking Nigerian gas resources and delivering critical infrastructure to supply about three billion cubic feet of gas per day to the market,” Ojulari said.

The Director-General of ONHYM, Mrs Amina Benkhadra, described the agreement as another major milestone in the development of the pipeline project.

She said the project reflected the shared vision of Morocco and Nigeria to promote regional integration and strengthen energy cooperation across Africa.

According to the statement by Odeh, Morocco and Mauritania would subsequently sign the agreement to complete the intergovernmental framework for the project.

“The project, initiated under the administrations of former President Muhammadu Buhari and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, continued to enjoy the support of President Bola Tinubu.

“Major preparatory activities, including Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) studies, route reconnaissance surveys, environmental and social impact studies, and key legal, regulatory and commercial frameworks, have been completed.

“The project will run from Nigeria to Morocco through 13 Atlantic coastal countries, with interconnections to landlocked Sahel nations.

“The pipeline will also connect to the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline, creating a new energy corridor with an annual capacity of 30 bcm, including up to 15 bcm for Morocco and European markets.

“The project would boost regional gas supply, support electricity generation, promote industrialisation, create new value chains and generate employment across West Africa.

“Following the completion of the intergovernmental agreement, the Pipeline Higher Authority will be established in Abuja, while the AAGP Project Company will be headquartered in Casablanca to oversee implementation and preparations for the Final Investment Decision (FID).”