Morocco and the UAE have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on investment cooperation on the Africa-Atlantic gas pipeline, set to transport natural gas from Nigeria to Europe through West and North Africa.
Under the agreement, which was signed during a state visit to Abu Dhabi by King Mohammed VI of Morocco last week, the UAE will provide financial and technical contributions to the project, which is poised to promote economic integration and energy security in West Africa.
Providing a vital pathway for West African gas to international markets, the 5,600-km pipeline will span more than 13 countries along Africa’s Atlantic coast, connecting Nigeria’s gas to Europe through The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco.
With strong political backing from Nigeria and other member-countries of the Economic Community of West African States, construction work on the pipeline is scheduled to begin in 2024, with feasibility studies for the pipeline currently underway.
The agreement forms part of a series of MoUs signed between Morocco and the UAE, signaling the Gulf Arab state’s commitment to supporting socioeconomic integration and development in West and North Africa.
