West African leaders have formally approved the US$25 billion Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline, paving the way for one of Africa’s largest energy infrastructure projects aimed at boosting regional integration and expanding gas exports to Europe.
The agreement was endorsed during the ECOWAS Summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Sunday, 19 July 2026, marking the final major political approval after nearly a decade of negotiations.
The proposed 6,000-kilometre pipeline will transport natural gas from Nigeria through 14 Atlantic coastal countries to Morocco, where it will connect to Europe’s gas network via Spain. Construction is expected to begin in 2028.
Once completed, the pipeline is expected to transport up to 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually, supplying about 400 million people and supporting electricity generation, fertiliser production, petrochemical industries and manufacturing across West Africa.
The project will be implemented in phases, beginning with the Morocco-Mauritania-Senegal section before extending through the Ghana-Côte d’Ivoire corridor and eventually connecting to Nigeria.
The initiative is jointly led by Nigeria’s state oil company and Morocco’s national mining agency, with support from ECOWAS, the Islamic Development Bank and the OPEC Fund for International Development.
Despite the political breakthrough, significant challenges remain, including securing financing, protecting the pipeline across participating countries, managing complex offshore construction and adapting to changing global energy demand as Europe accelerates its transition to renewable energy.