Nigeria, Morocco sign agreements on regional gas pipeline, two others

The Federal Government and the Kingdom of Morocco on Monday in Rabat, Morocco, signed three agreements as part of activities marking President Muhammadu Buhari’s two-day visit to the country.

According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the agreements included that of a regional gas pipeline that would see Nigeria providing gas to countries in the West African sub-region that extends to Morocco and Europe.

Shehu said the signing of the agreements, witnessed by Buhari and the King of Morocco, Mohammed V1, followed a meeting between the two African leaders.

The meeting, he disclosed, focused on strengthening economic relations in gas resource development, global investments, and agricultural training and management.

The statement read, “The feasibility study of the agreement on the pipeline, which was signed by the Group General Manager, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Farouq Garba, and Mrs. 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 Nigeria Morocco Gas Pipeline, designed to be 5,660km long, will reduce gas flaring in Nigeria and encourage diversification of energy resources in the country, while cutting down poverty through the creation of more job opportunities.

“The NMGP will further encourage utilisation of gas in the sub-region for cooking, and discourage desertification.”

According to the presidential spokesman, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Nigeria Sovereign Wealth Authority, Mr. Uche Orji and the Chief Executive Officer of the Office of the Management of Phosphate in Morocco, Mr. Mostafa Terrab, also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of a chemical plant in Nigeria for producing ammonia and its derivatives.

He added that the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh and his Moroccan counterpart, Mr. Aziz Akhannouch, signed a cooperation agreement on vocational training and technical supervision, which will enhance skills on better management of agricultural outfits in Nigeria.

He quoted Buhari as assuring the King of Morocco of Nigeria’s full commitment to the actualisation of all the agreements signed.