Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco Monday signed a regional gas pipeline agreement, which would see to the former providing gas to countries in West Africa sub-region, Morocco and Europe thereby reduce the problem of gas flaring.
The Nigeria Morocco Gas Pipeline, designed to be 5,660km long, would also encourage diversification of energy resources in the country, while cutting down poverty through the creation of more job opportunities.
In a statement, Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity said the signing of the agreements followed a meeting between the two African leaders that focused on strengthening economic relations in gas resource development, global investments and agricultural training and management.
The feasibility study of the agreement on the pipeline, which was signed by the group general manager, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Farouq Garba, and Amina Benkhadra, director general of the National Office of Hydrocarbon and Mines, will be concluded by July 2018.
The construction of the pipeline will be phased and based on increasing needs of the countries crossed, and Europe, for the period of 25 years.
The NMGP will further encourage utilisation of gas in the sub-region for cooking, and discourage desertification.
Audu Ogbeh, agriculture and rural development minister and, Aziz Akhannouch, his Moroccan counterpart, also signed a cooperation agreement on vocational training and technical supervision, which will enhance skills on better management of agricultural outfits in Nigeria.
At the ceremony, Uche Orji, the chief executive officer and managing director of Nigeria Sovereign Wealth Authority, and Mostafa Terrab, the chief executive officer of the Office of the Management of Phosphate in Morocco, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of a chemical plant in Nigeria for producing ammonia and its derivatives.
