The African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) project recorded a major milestone after Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) signed the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for the multibillion-dollar regional energy initiative at the ECOWAS Summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The development was announced in a statement on Monday by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mr Andy Odeh.
According to the statement, the agreement provides the legal and institutional framework required to accelerate the implementation of the pipeline project, which is expected to strengthen regional energy security, drive industrialisation and deepen economic integration across West Africa.
The AAGP is designed to transport about 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually through a nearly 6,900-kilometre pipeline stretching from Nigeria to Morocco along the Atlantic coast, with interconnections to landlocked Sahel countries and onward linkage to the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline.
The project is jointly being developed by NNPC and its Moroccan equivalent – Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM), with sovereign backing from Nigeria, Morocco, Mauritania and ECOWAS member states.
NNPC said the latest signing gives practical effect to the approval granted during the 66th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government held in Abuja in December 2024 and concludes the institutional process initiated after the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding between Nigeria and Morocco.
The company added that Morocco and Mauritania are expected to sign the agreement in a subsequent ceremony to complete the intergovernmental framework for the project.
The statement noted that the pipeline, conceived under the shared vision of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari and King Mohammed VI of Morocco, continues to enjoy the support of President Bola Tinubu.
It also disclosed that significant preparatory work had already been completed, including Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) studies, route reconnaissance surveys, environmental and social impact assessments, as well as the development of legal, regulatory and commercial frameworks required to move the project towards implementation.
The pipeline is expected to enhance gas supply across the region, support electricity generation, promote industrial development, encourage value addition to natural resources and create employment opportunities across West Africa.
Commenting on the development, the chief executive of the state-oil-owned company, Mr Bayo Ojulari, described the signing of the agreement by West African leaders as a critical step towards the project’s implementation.
“This milestone reflects the clear mandate of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR. The AAGP is central to delivering that mandate by providing the infrastructure required to bring about 3 bcf/d of Nigerian gas to market. NNPC Limited is proud to co-lead this endeavour with ONHYM.”
Also speaking, the Director General of ONHYM, Mrs Amina Benkhadra, described the signing as another major achievement in the realisation of the transcontinental energy project.
According to her, “The Project fully reflects His Majesty’s vision for an integrated Atlantic Africa.”
NNPC said the next phase of the project would include the establishment of the Pipeline Higher Authority (PHA) in Abuja and the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline Project Company in Casablanca to oversee implementation and prepare for the Final Investment Decision (FID).
The company reaffirmed its commitment, alongside ONHYM, to delivering the project in line with international standards of technical excellence, environmental sustainability and good governance.