Joint Meeting of the Energy and Hydrocarbons Ministers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Member States, Extended to Include Morocco and Mauritania, on the Nigeria-Morocco African Atlantic Gas Pipeline Project

The ECOWAS Ministers of Energy and Hydrocarbons extended to Morrocco and Mauritania have adopted the version of the intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) and the Host State Agreement (HGA) revised by experts, as well as the Framework Document for the establishment of the ECOWAS Renewable and Energy Efficiency Facility (EREEEF).

Also adopted at the end of the Joint Meeting of ECOWAS Ministers of Energy and Hydrocarbons extended to Morocco and Mauritania, held at the Headquarters of the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, on November 01, 2024, was the Draft ECOWAS Guideline on the promotion of Grid-connected Solar Photovoltaic energy projects and the standard contract models annexed thereto. In the same vein, the Ministers adopted the title of the single project as “African Atlantic Gas Pipeline/Gazoduc Africain Atlantique (AAGP).

In attendance at the meeting were : Republic of Benin; Cabo Verde; Cote d’Ivoire; The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau; Liberia; Nigeria; Senegal; Sierra Leone, Togo and Morocco. Also represented at the meeting were regional organisations and institutions, as well as ECOWAS specialised agencies on energy including ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID); West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU); West African Gas Pipeline Authority (WAGPA); West African Power Pool (WAPP); ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA), and ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE).

Other national hydrocarbon companies that participated in the meeting were the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC); L’Office National Des Hydrocarbures et des Mines du Maroc (ONHMN); La Societe Mauritanienne des Hydrocarbures (SMH).

According to the final report endorsed by the Ministers at the end the one-day meeting, they underscored the importance of the Africa Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) Project as a regional and integrative project aimed at building a gas pipeline linking Nigeria to Morrocco, servicing ECOWAS member states and Mauritania with possible extension to Europe.

The Ministers also expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far in the development of renewable energy in ECOWAS sub-region, even as they welcomed the establishment of the ECOWAS Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Facility (EREEF) which establishes a new blended finance mechanism with an amount of $75 million aimed at providing grants, loans and guaranties for the financing of clean energy solutions for the ECOWAS region.

Similarly, the ECOWAS Energy Ministers welcomed the development of an ECOWAS Guidelines on the promotion of grid-connected Solar Photovoltaic Energy Projects, models of Electricity Purchase Agreements (EPA), Concession Agreements (CA), and the Solar photovoltaic including the Battery Energy Storage System ( BESS) annexed thereto, which will strengthen the regulatory framework for the development of renewable energy in the sub- region.

Furthermore, the Ministers proposed to the Council of Ministers and President of the ECOWAS Commission to take all necessary measures to organise an official /solemn signing ceremony of the intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) of the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) in conjunction with the Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of Government. The targeted dates for the signing ceremony are the forthcoming ECOWAS Summit in December 2024, or any date in the first quarter of 2025.

Declaring the meeting open, the Chairman of the Joint Meeting of ECOWAS Ministers of Energy and Hydrocarbons and Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources (Gas) Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, said “the institutional agreements is an affirmation of our commitment to enhancing hydrocarbon and energy trade within ECOWAS and other African countries, facilitating access to natural gas across the region, and expanding our footprint in global gas markets.”

Delivering his speech, the Minster of Power of the Federal Repubic of Nigeria, Chief Adebayo ADELABU, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Mahmuda Mamman, said the “establishment of the ECOWAS Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Facility represents a transformative step towards achieving our regional energy goals. This facility will act as a catalyst for investments, providing the necessary support and incentives for both public and private sector projects.”

In his speech on behalf of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu TOURAY, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitisation, Mr. Sediko DOUKA underscored the importance of the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline Project to ECOWAS region noting that the increased access to natural gas will not only boost electricity production/generation capacity, but also drive economic, industrial, and agricultural growth across the region.

“As a transitional energy source, abundant natural gas usage in the region will support our countries in contributing to global climate change efforts, advancing clean and sustainable mobility, and promoting the use of clean cooking solutions. Although being a fossil fuel, natural gas has the advantage of being relatively low in pollutants, allowing large-scale energy production. Therefore, it is in our interest to increase its production and accessibility for both industrial and domestic use.” said Mr. Sediko DOUKA.

In her speech, the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, the Kingdom of Morocco, H.E. Dr. Mrs. Leila BENALI, said, “This pipeline is very much a political pipeline and that’s the also the reason why we as the Kingdom of Morocco really want to thank our partners, our friends in ECOWAS for sticking and be persistent and resistant in making sure that the work continues on this political vision and political project, for Africa and also for the rest of the world.”

Speaking during the meeting, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mr Mele Kyari, who was represented by the Executive Vice President Gas, Power and New Energy, Mr. Olalekan Ogunleye, said the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) Phase 2 study of the AAGP Project has been completed, while work is ongoing regarding surveys in Environmental and Social Impact Assessments and the Land Acquisition and Resettlement Policy Framework.

The African Atlantic Gas Pipeline Project, estimated at about $26 billion and spanning from Nigeria through multiple ECOWAS countries to Morocco, is expected to unlock new markets and bolster energy security throughout the region by linking the natural gas reserves in Nigeria to North Africa and Europe. The project would expand opportunities for economic growth, industrialization, and job creation, benefiting communities across the linkage countries.

The AAGP Project involves building a 6,800 km gas pipeline network within, 5 100 km on offshore from Nigeria to Morocco, passing through all the ECOWAS coastal countries along the Atlantic Ocean, as well as Mauritania and the three landlocked countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger). The project would help in supplying gas to Morocco, 13 ECOWAS countries and Europe, and promote regional integration of the economies of the ECOWAS sub-region.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).