The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCLtd.) said four Memoranda of Understanding were signed on Friday, June 16 in Abuja as part of the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project.
The MOUs were signed between the NNPCLtd and the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM) of Morocco on one hand, and the Société Nationale des Opérations Pétrolières of Cote d’Ivoire (PETROCI), the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), the Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures of Benin (SNH-Benin), and the Société Nationale des Pétroles of the Republic of Guinea (SONAP) on the other.
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NNPCLtd said in a statement on Friday, June 16 that the memoranda, similar to those signed with the Economic Community of West African States (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 reaffirmed the commitment of the parties to the strategic project.
Once completed, the project is expected to enhance the monetisation of the natural gas resources of the affected African countries, and also offer a new alternative export route to Europe.
The signings took place on the sidelines of the Steering Committee meeting of the project, which was attended by representatives of ECOWAS and those of all the participating countries, comprising Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco.
The partners hoped the project would 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.
The goals are hinged on 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.
The NNPCLtd’s group chief executive, Mele Kyari, lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigerian government for entrusting NNPC Ltd. with the strategic project.
Kyari added, “As a commercial enterprise, NNPC Ltd. sees this 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.”
The Director-General of ONHYM, Amina Benkhadra, also said at the event that the gathering represented a progressive step in ensuring social and economic development through energy security and accessibility geared towards attaining total development of Africa by Africans.
The ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitization, Sédiko Douka, remarked that the gas pipeline project was significant as it would help strengthen the region’s electricity production/generation capacity, stimulate industrial and agricultural development, and contribute to the energy transition by using a source of energy that is cleaner than other fossil fuels.