Morocco seeks 26 billion dollars for Nigeria Morocco gas pipeline

Morocco is seeking to secure $26 billion in financing for the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project through the U.S. Export-Import Bank and the World Bank, Bloomberg reported, citing Moroccan Ambassador Youssef Amrani.

In an interview in Washington on Wednesday, Amrani said disruptions to energy flows from the Middle East caused by the Iran war have strengthened the project’s strategic rationale, as it aims to carry African gas to Europe. He declined to provide further details on the financing talks.

He added that the pipeline is “one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects currently under development in Africa.”

A spokesperson for the U.S. Export-Import Bank said the institution had held preliminary discussions on the African Atlantic gas pipeline, while the World Bank declined to comment.

Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States signed an intergovernmental agreement on July 19, giving formal backing to the proposed 6,800-kilometer pipeline project.

The pipeline is expected to have a capacity of 30 billion cubic meters, half of which would be allocated to Morocco, with the remaining volumes destined for Europe. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2028, with the first gas flows expected by 2031, provided financing commitments are secured.