West African leaders have signed an intergovernmental agreement supporting the proposed African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, marking a significant step in plans to establish a multibillion-dollar energy corridor linking Nigerian natural gas supplies with Morocco and potentially European markets.
The agreement was signed on Sunday during the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) summit in Sierra Leone, according to an official statement. The accord establishes a common legal framework for participating countries involved in the project but does not represent a final investment decision.
A joint statement issued by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and Morocco’s Office National of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) said the proposed pipeline would extend nearly 6,900 kilometres and is expected to cost about $25 billion. According to the two organisations, the pipeline is designed to transport up to 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually from Nigeria through 13 West African countries to Morocco.
NNPC and ONHYM stated that the project would also include interconnections serving landlocked Sahel nations and provide potential access to European markets through the existing Maghreb-Europe gas network. The proposed route is intended to strengthen regional energy connectivity while creating a new export corridor for West African natural gas.
The Nigeria-Morocco pipeline project was launched in 2016 by the two countries. ECOWAS formally joined the initiative in 2022 through a memorandum of understanding signed with NNPC and ONHYM, bringing the regional bloc into the framework supporting the development of the project.
Nigeria remains one of Africa’s leading energy producers and, according to the US Energy Information Administration, was the world’s sixth-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas in 2024. Morocco, which imports most of its fossil fuel requirements, has said the pipeline would strengthen its position as an energy transit hub connecting West Africa with Europe.
Despite the latest agreement, the project continues to face questions over financing and security. In 2018, a coalition of 40 environmental and civil society organisations, including ATTAC Morocco, Nigeria’s Health of Mother Earth Foundation and 350 Africa, opposed the development, arguing that it would increase fossil fuel extraction and greenhouse gas emissions.
The planned route has also attracted criticism because it would pass through Western Sahara, a disputed territory claimed by Morocco. Campaigners have argued that infrastructure development in the territory requires the consent of the indigenous Sahrawi population.
The African Atlantic Gas Pipeline also competes with the proposed 4,100-kilometre Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, which is intended to transport Nigerian gas to Europe through Niger and Algeria. Algeria, Africa’s largest natural gas producer, has been seeking to revive the long-delayed project in cooperation with Nigeria and Niger. In February, Algeria and Niger agreed to restart work on the Trans-Saharan pipeline after years of delays, highlighting continued competition between the two proposed export routes to European energy markets.
