Nigeria, Morocco agree to hasten gas pipeline deal

Nigeria and Morocco have pledged to deliver, in good time, the gas pipeline bilateral agreement deal they signed in June 2018.

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI visit Nigeria in December 2016 while President Muhammadu Buhari returned the visit in June 2018 and sealed the pipeline deal when both countries signed some Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).

Mallam Mele Kyari, Group Managing Director of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), spoke about the gas pipeline project on July 23, 2019 in Abuja when he received the Moroccan Ambassador to Nigeria, Moha Ou Ali Tagma.

The agreements include “a Pipeline Cooperation Agreement (PCA) for the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline; an MoU to develop a chemical plant in Nigeria for production of ammonia and its derivatives and thirdly, an agricultural cooperation agreement on vocational training and technical supervision’’.

The PCA will facilitate the establishment of a gas pipeline to supply feedstock gas from Nigeria to Morocco, across the West African sub-region and all the way to Europe.

Kyari told the ambassador that the NNPC was fully aligned with the terms of the MoU and committed to delivering them on time for the benefit of their respective citizens.

He said that Nigeria’s foreign relations are to widen cooperation among African states and expand the economic corridors of the continent.

“This is very important towards job creation, economic prosperity and ultimately, the achievement of overall peace and stability across the entire African continent,” Kyari added.

Kyari described Nigeria’s historical relationship with Morocco as dating back to a thousand years, and the two countries would continue to work together to further harness the huge gas resources abundant in Nigeria.

“Unknown to many people, Nigeria is more of a gas province than oil. We have billions of untapped gas resources. I am optimistic that our bilateral cooperation around the gas pipeline with Morocco will boost the economies of all countries across the West African states and up to Morocco,” he added.

Tagma had congratulated Kyari on his recent appointment and wished him success during his tenure and described Morocco and Nigeria as “two important African countries” that can achieve a lot while working together towards developing their respective economies and creating jobs for their citizens.