Nigeria steps up efforts to finance Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline

The Nigerian government is intensifying its efforts to secure technical and financial partners for the ambitious Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline, a $25 billion megaproject aimed at transporting Nigerian gas to Europe via Morocco, following the West African coastline.

According to The Whistler, Nigeria is actively seeking new international investors to support this strategic initiative, considered one of the largest energy projects in Africa, with the potential to boost Europe’s energy security and strengthen Nigeria’s role as a key gas exporter.

On Monday, June 2, Vice President Kashim Shettima met with top executives of Vitol, the world’s largest independent energy trading firm, calling for expanded technical and financial cooperation to ensure the project’s success.

He emphasized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of making Nigeria a top destination for energy investment, referencing major reforms including fuel subsidy removal, exchange rate unification, and a comprehensive tax overhaul.

« The Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline is a national priority. Nigeria is more of a gas economy than oil—we have the 8th largest gas reserves in the world, » Shettima declared.

He noted the need for advanced technical expertise over mere capital, stressing the government’s commitment to transparent governance, and citing NLNG’s success story as a model free from political interference.

Vitol’s CFO Jeffrey Dellapina reaffirmed the group’s long-term engagement in Nigeria:

« We’ve been here for years—financing, trading, and supporting Nigerian authorities during tough times. »

Meanwhile, Vitol’s public affairs director Murtaza Baloni recalled a $300 million investment during COVID-19 in the Gazelle project, backed by the NNPC.

Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition, Leila Benali, recently confirmed that feasibility and preliminary engineering studies for the project are complete, and that the optimal route has been identified.