Five countries from West Africa have added their signatures to a gas pipeline deal with Morocco that would see the nations benefit from the investment.
Nigeria, Liberia, Benin, Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire entered into the agreement, also signed by Morocco, on Friday in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.
Upon completion, the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline will benefit the economies of the different nations, and also provide a new alternative export route to Europe.
Other West African states that had already expressed their approval of the project in 2022 were Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Ghana.
“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,” ECOWAS said in a statement.
According to ECOWAS’ Commissioner for Infrastructure, Sediko Douka, the gas pipeline investment will also help strengthen the region’s electricity generation capacity and stimulate agricultural and industrial development.
The construction of the 5,660-kilometre gas pipeline, starting in Nigeria and ending in Morocco, began in 2019.
It is estimated that it would cost $25 billion to build it, with ECOWAS member states and Morocco jointly footing the cost.
It is projected that the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline will be operational from 2046.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional political and economic union of 15 countries located in West Africa.
