Rabat – Senegal’s Minister of Petroleum and Energies Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome reiterated his country’s support for the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline on Thursday during a meeting with Director General of Morocco’s Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) Amina Benkhadra in Dakar.
During the meeting, the Senegalese official said that the “ambitious” gas pipeline will benefit the populations and economies of the entire region.
He also cited a “specific program” planned by Morocco and Senegal to advance the project and strengthen South-South cooperation among all countries in the region.
Senegal has been emphasizing the significance of the project since its launch. The country is one of several countries that signed a series of Memoranda of Understanding with Morocco last year to emphasize their unwavering support for the implementation of the gas pipeline.
The 5,600-kilometer-long pipeline will span over 11 countries, along the Atlantic coast. With the ambition of benefiting over 400 million inhabitants in Africa, the pipeline will transport Nigerian gas to Europe through the North African country, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, and Benin.
Morocco has been keen to make the project beneficial for the whole continent.
On November 6, King Mohammed VI reiterated Morocco’s commitment to the project, and stressed its potential to benefit not only Africa but also Europe.
“The region along the Atlantic coast suffers from a significant deficit in infrastructure, and investment, despite skilled human capital and abundant natural resources,” the King said, stressing that Morocco has been working with other African countries to tackle the situation.
Describing the project as strategic, the monarch said that the initiative is designed to promote regional integration as well as to boost joint economic growth.
King Mohammed VI and former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced the project in 2016, to reinforce African Energy security. The pipeline continues to earn unwavering support from many countries across the continent.
Read Also: Construction of Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline to Start in 2024
