Morocco is set to accelerate the development of the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) project by launching tenders for the initial phases in 2025.

The announcement aligns with the 2025 Action Plan of the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines, with the tenders set to initially focus on the Moroccan segment of the pipeline.

The first phase of the project will involve Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal. Additional agreements for gas transport are expected to be signed next year.

A private company will be established to oversee the construction, operation, and maintenance of the 5,600-kilometer pipeline. The pipeline is projected to connect 16 countries along the Atlantic coast and benefit over 340 million people, with Morocco hosting a significant portion of the route. 

The pipeline will also link to the Morocco-Europe gas pipeline and the European gas network, benefiting both Africa and Europe.

King Mohammed VI has hailed the NMGP as a "project for peace, for African economic integration, and for co-development." 

Several countries, including Nigeria, Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Benin, and Côte d'Ivoire, have signed agreements with Morocco to support the project.

Recent discussions at an ECOWAS meeting have advanced critical agreements, including the Intergovernmental Agreement and Host Government Agreement for the AAGP, a broader initiative that merges the NMGP with the West African Gas Pipeline Extension Project.

The AAGP aims to monetize Nigeria's abundant natural gas resources, diversify export routes, eliminate gas flaring, and supply gas to Morocco, 13 ECOWAS countries, and Europe.