Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Tops President Tinubu's Priorities
Doha – Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has placed the $25 billion Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline at the forefront of his administration's priority projects. Senator Jimoh Ibrahim announced this commitment during the executive session of the African Parliament Union in Casablanca on Wednesday.
The massive infrastructure project aims to deliver up to 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually across 5,660 kilometres, supplying energy to approximately 400 million people in 13 African countries, with Nigeria as the central gas provider. Ibrahim stated that President Tinubu is reviewing all previously abandoned projects to ensure their swift completion.
'This project is expected to create thousands of jobs, boost industrial and digital development, and contribute to a more sustainable energy future for the participating countries,' Ibrahim explained, noting important advantages for Morocco in supplying European countries with gas.
Morocco's Energy Transition Minister Leila Benali confirmed in mid-May that feasibility and preliminary engineering studies have been completed and the optimal route has been determined.
'A special-purpose company is currently being established between Morocco and Nigeria to make the final investment decision by the end of the current year,' Benali told the Upper House, confirming that the intergovernmental agreement among member states has been approved along with the host country agreement.
Morocco launched a tender last April to develop national natural gas infrastructure that will connect Nador port to Kenitra and Mohammedia, extending to Dakhla to link with the Africa-Atlantic Gas Pipeline.
Major financiers have joined the initiative, with the UAE agreeing to contribute funding alongside the European Investment Bank, Islamic Development Bank, and OPEC Fund. China's Jingye Steel Group has been awarded a contract to supply pipes for the construction.
The United States has expressed interest in investing in the initiative, as revealed by Nigeria's Finance Minister Wale Edun during bilateral engagements at the 2025 Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank Group in Washington. The US showed interest in Nigeria's natural gas sector, particularly given the country's vast gas reserves.
The project dates back to King Mohammed VI's state visit to Nigeria in December 2016. The Final Investment Decision was initially planned for 2023 but has been postponed to 2025, reflecting the project's complexity and scale.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio is actively working to provide legislative support for Tinubu's vision, with this backing aiming to eliminate any complexities that may obstruct successful implementation.
Morocco is set to be home to 1,672 kilometers of the pipeline. The route will pass through Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco.
Ibrahim urged Morocco to consider revising its visa policy for Nigerian visitors, given the investment opportunities both countries will generate. Tags: Morocco-Nigerian pipeline project
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Morocco World
an hour ago
- Morocco World
EU Cancels €3 Million Heritage Grant for Moroccan Jewish Community
Marrakech – The European Union has cancelled a €3 million grant intended to support the preservation of Moroccan Jewish heritage initiatives. The cancellation came just four days after the beginning of the Israel-Iran war, according to an Israel Hayom exclusive report. The call for proposals had been launched in September 2023, with community initiatives submitting applications in December of that year. Several projects successfully passed the first stage in April, and full proposals were submitted earlier this month. Applicants were then unexpectedly informed last week that the entire call had been cancelled without explanation. Sources in Morocco stated that the targeted projects had no connection to Israel. 'The projects had no link to the Israeli genocide in Gaza, Zionism or political events, but were solely focused on preserving Moroccan Jewish culture,' they told Israel Hayom. The cancelled initiatives included preservation of centuries-old cemeteries, cultural programming, history education, and studies of pre-state Jewish-Muslim shared heritage in Morocco. Those familiar with the matter suggested political motivations behind the decision. 'The timing of the cancellation is not neutral. It followed the military escalation and the shift in European positions toward Israel and the Palestinians. The message is clear: Jewish equals political, and political equals 'unacceptable,'' they stated, according to the Hebrew report. Community leaders in Morocco accused the EU of reducing Moroccan Jewish identity to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. They characterized this as stemming from 'historical ignorance and racism.' 'This punishes communities for a geopolitical reality they neither created nor control. It's not policy—it's fallout. And it comes at the expense of cultural preservation, truth, and justice,' the sources added. According to the French-language rejection letter obtained by Israel Hayom, applicants were simply told: 'Monsieur, thank you for submitting a full application to the above call. It is with great regret that I inform you that the call has been cancelled. I invite you to consult future calls for proposals.' The cancellation impacts preservation efforts for a Jewish presence in Morocco that spans over 2,300 years. This heritage was shaped through multiple historical phases, including migrations following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the influx of Jewish exiles from Spain in 1492. Under Islamic rule, Moroccan Jews lived as dhimmis with internal autonomy while serving as diplomats, merchants, and advisors during the Saadi and Alaouite dynasties, creating a unique cultural identity distinct from both European and Middle Eastern Jewish communities. By 1956, Morocco's Jewish population had grown to approximately 250,000, making it one of the largest Jewish communities in the Arab world. While significant emigration occurred between 1956 and the early 1970s, primarily to Israel and France, the remaining community and their historical sites represent an irreplaceable cultural legacy. The cancelled projects aimed to safeguard this heritage, which includes not just physical structures but also the documentation of centuries-old traditions of Jewish-Muslim coexistence that predated the establishment of Israel and modern political conflicts.
Maroc
3 hours ago
- Maroc
Morocco Elected Vice-President of Permanent Conference of African & Francophone Consular Chambers
The President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services (CCIS) of Fez-Meknes, Hamza Benabdellah, was elected Vice-President of the Permanent Conference of African and Francophone Consular Chambers (CPCCAF) on Friday in Fez, during the 49th ordinary session of the organization's General Assembly. This statutory meeting, held on the sidelines of the 5th edition of the Fez-Meknes Economic Forum, was also marked by the election of Youssouf Moussa Dawaleh, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Djibouti, as the new head of CPCCAF, succeeding Christophe Eken, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Cameroon. In a statement to MAP, Benabdellah emphasized that this "important" elective assembly led to the formation of a new executive bureau and the election of a new president. He expressed pride in the Fez-Meknes CCIS being elected for the first time to the vice-presidency of CPCCAF, which includes over 80 consular chambers from 24 French-speaking countries. This election is "a recognition of the work accomplished by the Chamber in developing its international relations in support of active economic diplomacy, particularly with African and Francophone countries," he added, noting that this new responsibility will "enhance the visibility and impact of Fez on the continental and Francophone scale." For his part, Dawaleh said he was "deeply honored to have been elected President of CPCCAF in such an emblematic city as Fez, known for its historical and cultural heritage, as well as its economic and commercial influence." The newly elected president expressed his sincere gratitude to the Kingdom of Morocco for the warm hospitality and exemplary organization of the event. The Permanent Conference of African and Francophone Consular Chambers and Intermediary Organizations (CPCCAF) was created in 1973 with the aim of supporting the development of the African private sector through cooperation among its network's consular chambers and fostering economic exchanges among member countries. (MAP: 22 June 2025)
Morocco World
a day ago
- Morocco World
Two Moroccan Universities in QS 2026 Worldwide Ranking
Rabat — Morocco has secured a presence – albeit modest — in the latest QS World University Rankings of 2026, with two universities making it to the recently published list by British firm Quacquarelli Symonds. Out of 1,501 institutions ranked across 106 countries, Morocco is represented by Mohammed V University in Rabat, placed in the 1,201–1,400 band, and Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech, which appears in the 1,401+ category. Despite being among the country's most established institutions, neither managed to break into the upper tiers of the global or continental rankings. Other African countries have made more significant strides by the list's criteria. Egypt has 20 universities featured in the 2026 ranking, while South Africa lists 11, including the University of Cape Town at 150th place and the University of the Witwatersrand at 29th.. The rankings also pinpoints a broader trend across the continent: only ten African countries are represented in the QS list, most with just one or two institutions. Nigeria, for instance, failed for the third year in a row to place any of its 297 universities among the top 1,000. No African university ranked in the global top 100, but the University of Cape Town's 150th place stands out as a stronger performer within the continent. At the global level, American and British universities topped the list with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) securing the number one position, followed by Imperial College London, Stanford University, and the University of Oxford. The QS rankings are based on eight indicators, including academic and employer reputation, faculty-to-student ratio, research citations, international diversity, graduate employment outcomes, and sustainability engagement. Morocco's limited presence in international rankings signals the need for stronger research policies, improved academic-industry links, and more ambitious internationalization strategies. A recent study in the African Scientific Journal examining Morocco's higher education system emphasized raising education standards, enhancing teaching quality, modernizing curricula, and expanding global partnerships. The study also called for strengthening the English language as a medium of instruction to better prepare students for the global stage.
