ECOWAS seals landmark deal to advance African Atlantic Gas Pipeline.

The African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) Project has recorded a significant milestone after Heads of State of ECOWAS member countries signed the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for the project during the ECOWAS Summit held in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The AAGP is a major regional infrastructure initiative aimed at unlocking West Africa’s abundant natural gas resources, connecting them to key demand centres, integrating African energy markets, and creating a strategic energy corridor linking West Africa, the Sahel, Morocco, and Europe. The project, backed by Nigeria, Morocco, Mauritania, and ECOWAS member states, will span nearly 6,900 kilometres and is designed to transport 30 billion cubic metres of gas annually.
Jointly promoted by NNPC Limited and Morocco’s Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM), the pipeline is expected to strengthen energy access, support industrialisation, and deepen regional integration. The latest agreement implements the approval granted at the 66th ECOWAS Summit in Abuja in December 2024, concluding the institutional process initiated after the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding between Nigeria and Morocco. A separate signing ceremony involving Morocco and Mauritania will complete the intergovernmental framework.
Conceived under the shared vision of the late President Muhammadu Buhari and King Mohammed VI of Morocco, the project continues to enjoy the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Progress already made includes the completion of Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) studies, route reconnaissance surveys, environmental and social studies, as well as the development of key legal, regulatory, and commercial frameworks, paving the way for implementation.
The pipeline will stretch from Nigeria to Morocco through 13 Atlantic coastal countries, with interconnections to landlocked Sahel nations. Linked to the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline, it will create a new energy corridor capable of supplying up to 15 billion cubic metres of gas annually to Morocco and Europe, while boosting regional gas supply, electricity generation, industrial growth, value addition, and employment across West Africa.
NNPC Limited Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, described the signing as providing the sovereign foundation needed to move the project from vision to implementation. He said the milestone aligns with President Tinubu’s mandate to deliver infrastructure capable of bringing about 3 billion cubic feet of Nigerian gas to market each day.
ONHYM Director General, Mrs. Amina Benkhadra, also described the agreement as another major step toward delivering the strategic project, saying it reflects King Mohammed VI’s vision of an integrated Atlantic Africa. She noted that following the final signatures by Morocco and Mauritania, the project will establish the Pipeline Higher Authority (PHA) in Abuja and the AAGP Project Company in Casablanca to oversee implementation and prepare for the Final Investment Decision (FID).
NNPC Limited and ONHYM reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline in line with international standards of technical excellence, environmental responsibility, and good governance.