The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has announced that a proposed gas pipeline connecting Nigeria to Morocco has entered the land acquisition stage.

The 25-billion-dollar project, which aims to benefit 13 West African countries, is undergoing environmental and social impact assessments.

“These achievements underline our shared capacity and resolve to bring this pipeline project to fruition,” said Mele Kyari, NNPCL Chief Executive.

The update was shared at a recent meeting of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ministers and officials from Mauritania and Morocco.

Championed by Morocco’s King, the project has received support from both past and present Nigerian presidents, as well as ECOWAS, with a multilateral agreement outlining the pipeline’s usage and management terms anticipated by the end of this year.

According to the project’s details, the pipeline will be constructed in three phases. The first phase would connect the existing Nigeria-Ghana pipeline to Côte d’Ivoire, with the second phase linking Morocco’s Maghreb-Europe pipeline to Senegal.

The third phase would connect Senegal to Côte d’Ivoire, providing the region with a vital energy infrastructure critical for the participating country’s energy supply security.