Nigeria and Morocco are still seeking funds to finance a mega-gas pipeline project to bring Nigerian gas to North Africa and Europe, the Nigerian oil minister has said.
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Africa’s gas reserves have been attracting more and more attention, with the European Union, in particular, seeking alternatives to its gas supply from Russia.
Four years ago, King Mohammed VI of Morocco and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari agreed on a mega-project to transport gas along the Atlantic coast, over more than 3,000 km. An agreement between the two countries was first signed in 2016.
Nigerian Petroleum Minister Timipre Sylva said the pipeline would be an extension of a gas pipeline that has brought gas from southern Nigeria to Benin, Ghana, and Togo since 2010. “We want to continue this same pipeline to Morocco along on the side. Today, (the project) is still under study,” said Mr. Sylva on Monday.
“We are securing funding and many people are showing interest,” the minister continued.
“The Russians were in my office last week, they are very keen to invest in this project,” he said.
For now, Mr. Sylva said that no agreement on funding has been found. “There is a lot of international interest but we have not yet identified the investors with whom we want to work”.
Bringing Nigerian gas to North Africa has long fueled many interests, with Algeria leading discussions in 2002 for a similar pipeline project across the Sahel region.
Nigeria, a member of OPEC, has enormous gas reserves, the first in Africa and the seventh in the world.
