It has been nearly a decade since the vision of a transcontinental gas pipeline linking Nigeria’s vast reserves to Morocco and, ultimately, European markets were conceived. What began as a historic diplomatic overture by King Mohammed VI of Morocco in 2016 has now been rebranded as the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP), secured the endorsement of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)how, and accumulated a staggering price tag exceeding $25 billion. Yet, for all the fanfare, the project remains stubbornly lodged in the realm of aspiration, a victim of bureaucratic lethargy, geopolitical complexity, and an alarming absence of presidential urgency.
In the original plan, Morocco is set to host over 1,600 kilometres of the project, which spans approximately 6,900 kilometres, combining onshore and offshore segments.
The pipelines are engineered for a throughput of 30 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas per year. Up to 15 bcm is allocated to meet domestic and industrial energy demands across West Africa, while the remaining half is targeted for export to Europe via Morocco.
It is designed to transport up to 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas yearly from Nigeria through 13 West African countries to Morocco.
Over time, there have been several projected timelines and target dates as the project evolved since the signing of the initial agreement in December 2016. In 2017, the NNPC and Morocco’s Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM) began the feasibility work.
Nigeria and Morocco signed a further agreement, and the Nigerian government said the feasibility study was expected to be concluded by July 2018.
According to energycircle.org, the feasibility study was subsequently completed in 2019, after which the project moved into Front-End Engineering Design (FEED).
Between 2021 and 2022, the project reportedly entered more detailed engineering and financing studies. By 2022, the expectation was that the Final Investment Decision (FID) could be reached in 2023, but this was not achieved, meedprojects.com said.
The timeline subsequently shifted, with later project information pointing to 2024 and then 2025 as possible FID dates.
A 2025 project database gave December 2029 as a projected completion date for one phase/package, but its later 2026 update moved the completion date for that profile to June 2031.
Evidently, the project has repeatedly missed or shifted its intermediate deadlines, especially the Final Investment Decision (FID).
But the most immediate and glaring obstacle is the palpable inertia emanating from the highest levels of Nigerian authority. A decade of diplomatic brainstorming has yielded more name changes than tangible progress, with the recent ECOWAS endorsement ironically complicating matters by introducing a multiplicity of interests rather than streamlining the path forward. While Vice President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the signing ceremony, the conspicuous absence of a reciprocal visit by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Morocco, despite a personal invitation from the King, speaks volumes about the priority this administration assigns to the project.
It said that self-serving government officials are frustrating the process, focusing on personal enrichment rather than national benefit. This is an unacceptable indictment. President Tinubu must urgently demonstrate the same level of personal commitment shown by the Moroccan monarch, travelling to Rabat to sign the final intergovernmental agreement and signaling to all stakeholders-domestic and international-that Nigeria is fully invested in this project as a cornerstone of its ‘Decade of Gas’ strategy.
As Nigeria stands at this critical crossroads, it is imperative to state unequivocally that this project is not merely a Moroccan ambition but a strategic Nigerian imperative. However, for it to succeed, President Tinubu must shed his administration’s passive posture and assume the mantle of proactive leadership, all while confronting the fundamental contradictions that threaten to make this pipeline a conduit for foreign energy while leaving Nigerians in the dark.
The African Atlantic Gas Pipeline is a project of immense potential. President Tinubu has the opportunity to turn this ‘dream’ into a reality that serves both Nigeria and the continent.
For a country which is said to have more gas than petrol, Daily Trust sees this as an opportunity to exploit Nigeria’s vast reserves, boost our foreign exchange and extend more diplomatic clout in the international arena.
This can only be achieved if those who stand in the way of this important project are shown the way out. Let Nigeria’s prosperity be the ultimate winner.