The proposed $25 billion African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) has moved closer to implementation after Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) signed the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for the project during the regional bloc’s summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The agreement provides the sovereign backing required to move the transcontinental gas pipeline into its next phase, paving the way for the transportation of Nigerian natural gas to markets across West Africa, the Sahel, Morocco and Europe.
The development was announced on Monday in a statement by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Andy Odeh.
Jointly being developed by NNPC Limited and Morocco’s Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM), the pipeline will stretch nearly 6,900 kilometres along the West African Atlantic coast. It is designed to transport up to 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually, linking gas-producing countries with major demand centres and landlocked Sahel nations.
According to NNPC, as much as 15 billion cubic metres of the pipeline’s annual capacity could be exported to Morocco and European markets through the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline.
The company said the project would strengthen electricity generation, improve energy access, support industrialisation and stimulate the development of new industrial value chains across the region while deepening regional economic integration.
“The African Atlantic Gas Pipeline Project has received a major boost towards its actualisation as the Heads of State of ECOWAS Member States have signed the Intergovernmental Agreement for the project,” the statement said, describing the pipeline as a transformative regional infrastructure initiative aimed at unlocking West Africa’s vast gas resources and establishing a strategic energy corridor linking West Africa, the Sahel, Morocco and Europe.
The agreement implements the approval granted at the 66th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government held in Abuja in December 2024. It also concludes the institutional process initiated after Nigeria and Morocco signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the project in 2022.
NNPC said the final step in completing the intergovernmental framework is the signing of the agreement by Morocco and Mauritania.
The pipeline, conceived under the shared vision of the late President Muhammadu Buhari and King Mohammed VI of Morocco, continues to enjoy the backing of President Bola Tinubu.
Preparatory work has advanced significantly, with Front-End Engineering Design (FEED), route reconnaissance, environmental and social impact assessments, as well as legal, regulatory and commercial frameworks already completed, positioning the project for implementation.
The pipeline will pass through 13 Atlantic coastal countries, with branch connections to landlocked Sahel nations, creating a major regional energy corridor.
Commenting on the development, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, said the agreement provides the sovereign foundation needed to move the project from planning to execution.
“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,” Ojulari said.
For Nigeria, which holds one of Africa’s largest proven natural gas reserves, the project is expected to ease longstanding infrastructure constraints, expand export opportunities and unlock greater value from its vast gas resources.
