IN SHORT: Nigeria and Morocco expect to sign an intergovernmental agreement in Q4 2026 for the $25 billion African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, a 6,900-kilometre route linking Nigeria’s gas fields to Morocco and Europe through 13 West African countries. ONHYM and NNPC will create a joint venture in Morocco to lead execution, financing and construction. First gas from the northern section connecting Morocco to Mauritania and Senegal is expected in 2031.
Africa’s most ambitious energy infrastructure project moved decisively closer to reality after Nigeria and Morocco confirmed that a formal intergovernmental agreement will be signed in the fourth quarter of 2026, with presidents Bola Tinubu and King Mohammed VI set to put their names to a document that commits both nations to the execution of a $25 billion pipeline spanning the full Atlantic coast of West Africa. Nigeria’s foreign ministry confirmed the timeline following a call between foreign ministers Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu and Nasser Bourita. Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines had separately told Reuters the IGA would be signed in 2026.
- The African Atlantic Gas Pipeline will run 6,900 kilometres on a hybrid offshore and onshore route, connecting Nigeria’s gas fields through Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia and Senegal before reaching Morocco and connecting to the existing Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline into Spain and Portugal.
- Maximum capacity is 30 billion cubic metres annually. Morocco will absorb approximately 15 billion cubic metres for domestic needs, with the remainder supporting exports to Europe. The pipeline would make Morocco a critical node in Europe’s gas supply diversification away from Russian and Gulf sources.
- ONHYM and NNPC will establish a joint venture in Morocco to supervise financing and construction. A pipeline authority with ministerial representatives from all 13 participating countries will be established in Nigeria to provide political and regulatory coordination once the IGA is signed.
- The Hormuz crisis has made the pipeline more commercially urgent. Qatar declared force majeure on LNG shipments in March 2026. European energy ministers have accelerated negotiations with North African suppliers and the Atlantic Gas Pipeline would provide a pipeline route to European markets that bypasses all Gulf-region choke points entirely.
- First gas from the northern section connecting Morocco to Mauritanian and Senegalese fields is projected for 2031. The southern Nigerian connection requires more construction time and is not expected until the mid-2030s. Topographic surveys in Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal are already in advanced stages.
- Funding for the project was secured through four memoranda of understanding signed in 2023. Dutch subsea solutions company N-Sea has conducted seabed inspections in West Africa. The total $25 billion investment would make it by far the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken in West Africa.
The political backdrop for the signing has never been more favourable. The Hormuz crisis has forced European energy policy to accelerate Africa partnerships. France committed $16.3 billion in energy investment at the Africa Forward Summit. Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has called the pipeline “more than just a bilateral project,” describing it as a strategic initiative for West African economic integration. Nigeria’s Dangote refinery, now operating at 99% capacity, has validated large-scale Nigerian industrial energy infrastructure in a way that improves sovereign credibility for this pipeline commitment.
The Bigger Picture: A 6,900-kilometre pipeline through 13 countries is one of the most complex infrastructure projects ever attempted on the African continent. The IGA is the political foundation. The engineering, financing and regulatory work that follows is where previous large-scale African infrastructure ambitions have foundered. What is different this time is timing: European energy security imperative, a committed Moroccan anchor, an operational Nigerian refinery proving industrial capacity, and a post-Hormuz energy market that has restructured global supply routes in real time. The Q4 2026 signing window is credible. Whether the pipeline is in the ground by 2035 depends on decisions that have not yet been made.
Source: BusinessDay NG, April 14 2026 / Arab News, May 13 2026
