In the last months, major advances have moved the 6,800km natural gas pipeline—designed to carry African gas to Europe—off the design table and to the point of actual construction. Announced on May 5 by Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, was the news that the UAE had joined four other organizations in the financing for the project, expected to cost $25 billion. Other groups already involved include the OPEC Fund, the European Investment Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. ECOWAS has already given their support.
Announced in December 2024 was that both the feasibility study and Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) aspects of the project, now officially known as the African-Atlantic Gas Pipeline, had been completed. Nigeria’s National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and Morocco’s Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM)—the two major protagonists in the project—have set up a joint venture to manage its construction and operation. China’s Jingye Steel Group has been chosen to supply pipes for the construction. Land acquisition and resettlement operations have reportedly already begun.
