One of the world’s longest offshore gas pipelines – designed to carry Nigerian gas up the Atlantic coast to Europe – has cleared its biggest political hurdle after West African leaders formally backed the $25bn (£19bn) Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline.
Historic green light in Freetown
The agreement, endorsed at a ceremony in Freetown on Sunday, gives top-level political approval to a 6,000km (3,700-mile) pipeline that will snake through or offshore 14 countries and ultimately connect into Europe’s gas grid via Spain.
“Don’t be surprised when the gas comes your way,” Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, who currently chairs the Ecowas regional bloc, told guests after the signing.
The deal, which follows nearly a decade of negotiations, sets out the legal and governance framework for the project and is widely viewed as the last major political step before full financing and construction decisions are taken.
Construction is expected to begin in 2028 and proceed in stages over several years, rather than as a single build.
A break with old energy patterns
For many analysts the project represents an attempt to rewrite Africa’s role in the global energy system.
Energy expert and former Nigerian government adviser Charles Majomi said the pipeline marks a shift away from the long-standing pattern in which African gas is extracted, processed abroad and then sold back to African countries at vastly higher prices.
That system, he argued, is a “complete devaluation of the resource that is so fortunately endowed in places like Nigeria and other countries”.
By contrast, if managed effectively, the Atlantic pipeline could both spur industrial development along the West African coast and strengthen the continent’s clout in global energy diplomacy.
“In terms of Africa’s regional security and its ability to negotiate and have a seat at the global table, if you will, it does need this measure of usefulness to countries [in] Europe and Asia potentially,” Majomi said.
Economic corridor and symbol of cooperation
The project’s backers say it is about more than gas exports.
“Beyond energy security, it will open up Africa as a corridor to international markets,” said Prof Ganiyat Adejoke Adesina-Uthman of the National Open University of Nigeria.
It is also, she added, a symbol of what African nations can achieve through collaboration.
If fully completed as planned, the pipeline is expected to transport around 30bn cubic metres of gas a year, supplying an estimated 400 million consumers. Supporters say it could underpin new power plants, fertiliser production, petrochemicals and manufacturing hubs along the Atlantic coastline, while also feeding European demand.
For Nigeria, which holds some of the continent’s largest gas reserves, the project promises a new route to monetise its resources and deepen economic ties across both West and North Africa.
Phased route and security concerns
Unlike the proposed Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline through Niger and Algeria, the Atlantic route mostly avoids the Sahel’s most insecure zones, although extensive offshore construction will add significantly to costs.
Analysts say the build will start away from Nigeria, which was initially viewed as a potential bottleneck.
“The plan is finance the project in segments starting with the Morocco-Mauritania-Senegal axis, then moving to the Ghana-Cote d’Ivoire axis… then the final connection would be to Nigeria which would then provide the gas,” Majomi explained.
Feasibility and front-end engineering design (FEED) studies have been completed, and the route has largely been agreed. Nigeria’s state oil company and Morocco’s national mining body are jointly leading the initiative, with backing from Ecowas, the Islamic Development Bank and the Opec Fund for International Development.
But ensuring security along thousands of kilometres of infrastructure – onshore and offshore – will be critical.
“Whether or not a country will go into default on their off-take obligations for that gas as it moves [through] will be measured by their ability to muster security and integrate the host communities in helping to defend these long, long lines of gas pipelines. I think also leveraging the use drones and aerial monitoring situations will also come to bear,” said Majomi.
Financing, rivals and shifting gas demand
Despite the political momentum, the project still faces substantial obstacles.
The headline cost of $25bn could rise with inflation and technical challenges, particularly in deep offshore sections. The success of the scheme depends on all 13 participating states – plus the disputed territory of Western Sahara – honouring their commitments, safeguarding the line and maintaining political stability.
The pipeline will also compete with other export options, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities and the rival Nigeria-Algeria Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline.
Overhanging all of this are questions about the future of European gas demand as the continent accelerates its shift towards renewable energy and decarbonisation.
Nonetheless, supporters remain confident the project will deliver benefits far beyond Europe.
“Nigeria has the gas and there’s market access from Morocco to Europe. It’s not just a extracting energy, it will lead to access to clean energy for many countries with Morocco is a gateway,” said Prof Adesina-Uthman.
“It will also create industries, job opportunity and ultimately a global market. It’s not just for regional integration but a global project.”
