Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Africa’s gas reserves have been attracting more and more attention, with the European Union seeking in particular 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 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 the coast. Today, (the project) is still under study”Mr. Sylva said on Monday.
First gas reserves in Africa
“We are securing funding and a lot of people are showing interest”continued the Minister. “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 reached. “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 notably 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.