Assahafa.com
Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita held a phone call on Friday with his Nigerian counterpart, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, to discuss bilateral relations and the Africa-Atlantic Gas Pipeline, as the project gains traction in Washington and moves closer to a final investment decision.
Bourita congratulated Odumegwu-Ojukwu on her appointment as head of Nigerian diplomacy, wishing her success in her new role, according to a statement from Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The call focused on major bilateral projects of importance to King Mohammed VI and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, chief among them the Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic African Gas Pipeline and cooperation in food security.
The conversation comes as Morocco continues to ramp up diplomatic efforts to promote the pipeline project in Washington earlier this week.
Amina Benkhadra, Director General of Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), led a delegation that held a series of high-level meetings with US institutions throughout the week.
The delegation met with officials from the US Department of Energy, the State Department, the National Security Council at the White House, the World Bank Group, the US International Development Finance Corporation, and several Washington-based think tanks, including the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Stimson Center, and the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center.
Morocco’s Ambassador to the United States, Youssef Amrani, joined Benkhadra for a meeting on Wednesday with Acting Assistant Secretary at the US Department of Energy, Tommy Joyce.
In an X post, Amrani said he was “pleased to note genuine U.S. interest in the Africa-Atlantic Gas Pipeline and critical minerals,” describing them as “real opportunities for energy security and regional development.”
A separate meeting was held the same day with David Copley, Senior Director for Global Supply Chains at the National Security Council (NSC), to discuss cooperation on critical minerals and the progress of Morocco’s mining agenda with US partners.
First gas delivery is targeted for 2031
ONHYM presented the project’s progress during the Washington meetings, noting that feasibility studies and the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) have been finalized. The terms of the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA), which will govern the pipeline among ECOWAS member states, have also been adopted ahead of its expected signing by heads of state of the countries along the route.
Work is underway on the institutional framework needed ahead of a Final Investment Decision (FID), ONHYM said in a statement. The discussions also covered the establishment of a Project Company to handle financial structuring, operational development, and coordination of implementation.
US institutions and think tanks expressed strong interest in the pipeline and Morocco’s positioning in the energy and mining sectors, according to ONHYM.
The diplomatic push follows reporting by Bloomberg on April 29 that ONHYM plans to launch its first fundraise for the $25 billion pipeline project. The fundraising would be the first since ONHYM converted into a public limited company in February, a move the firm said strengthens its capacity to structure partnerships and mobilize diversified funding.
The 6,900-kilometer pipeline will link gas deposits in Nigeria, Senegal, and Mauritania to 10 neighboring African countries, including Morocco, with onshore and offshore components. It is designed to connect to the existing Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline linking Morocco to Spain.
According to Reuters on April 13, Benkhadra said the intergovernmental agreement will be signed this year, after which a high authority for the pipeline will be established in Nigeria, bringing together ministerial representatives from the 13 participating countries.
A project company will be created in Morocco as a joint venture between ONHYM and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) to lead execution, financing, and construction.
Benkhadra told Reuters the pipeline will have a maximum capacity of 30 billion cubic meters, including 15 bcm to supply Morocco and support exports to Europe, with first gas from initial phases expected in 2031.
Bloomberg also reported that Morocco’s gas transport company, OMCO, confirmed that a formal intergovernmental agreement and a final investment decision are expected to be concluded this year.
Algeria has been pursuing a rival trans-Saharan pipeline to connect Nigerian gas fields to its Europe-bound infrastructure. ONHYM has positioned its corridor as a broader access route, arguing it will boost electrification across more African countries while offering Europe a diversified gas supply from largely untapped West African reserves.
Source: Morocco word news
