Press release
The Gambia National Petroleum Corporation has signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Oil Companies (NOCs) of Morocco (ONYHM) and Nigeria (NNPC) for the Nigeria Morocco Gas Pipeline Project.
The 5,600km Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline will pass through the Gambia and other West African countries along the Atlantic coast and is expected to cost $25 billion. With a projected capacity of approximately 3 billion cubic feet per day upon completion, the aim of the pipeline is to transport gas from Nigeria to Europe while supporting auxiliary energy infrastructure in West Africa such as gas to power electrification, domestic and industrial gas use; and ensuring further integration and cooperation within the region.
Other benefits include the creation of wealth and improvement in the standard of living of the citizenry, increased cooperation between our countries while mitigating against desertification and other benefits to be derived from reduction in carbon emissions. The signing ceremony was held on 5 December in Morocco’s capital city of Rabat, and was attended by Mele Kyari, Group CEO of NNPC Limited; Dr. Amina Benkhadra, General Director of Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM); Babourcarr Njie, Managing Director of The Gambia National Petroleum Corporation. It was witnessed by the Gambia’s Ambassador to Morocco, H.E Madam Saffie Lowe and staff of the three entities.
The GNPC MD, Baboucarr Njie in his keynote address extended the well wishes and support of H.E President Adama Barrow and the Hon Minister of Petroleum and Energy Hon Abdoulie Jobe for the project and congratulated ONHYM and NNPC for taking bold steps towards the development of regional gas hubs and markets for West Africa via this project. He expressed enthusiasm that such collaborative projects will help not only with regional integration but also help to alleviate energy insecurity and poverty while forming the bedrock of an industrial age for cooperating countries.
On his part, Mele Kyari GMD of NNPC stressed that NNPC will facilitate the continuous supply of gas and provide other enablers such as the required land for the first compressor station to be deployed in Nigeria, which is among the 13 nations earmarked along the pipeline route. Dr Amina Benkhadra on her part recommended the milestone of the project and recognised the concerted efforts made by the governments of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco, which led to the very commendable achievements recorded thus far. She expressed appreciation to King Mohammed VI of Morocco and President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria for the strategic vision of initiating such a project and entrusting it to the respective national entities.
As part of the MoU commitments, GNPC will be part of steering and technical committees for the implementation of the project.
Representatives of five other West African NOCS namely, Celedonio Placido Vieira, General Director of Guinea-Bissau’s NOC, PetroGuin; Amadou Doumbouya, Director General of Guinea’s National Company of Oil; Foday Mansaray II, Director General of the Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone; and Dr Ben K.D Asante, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Gas Company were present at the ceremony and also entered into similar joint MoUs with ONHYM and NNPC.
