The Moroccan Minister of Energy Transition, Mrs. Laila Bin-Ali Friday said the Transatlantic gas project between Nigeria and her country is a political project.
Bin-Ali said it is a well thought-out political project because the rest of the world is begining to understand that Africa holds the key to global survival.
The Moroccan Minister for Energy Tramsition Who spoke in Abuja at the Joint Meeting of the ECOWAS Ministers of Energy and Hydrocarbons, extended to Mauritania and Morrocco, maintained that the continent remains the last reservoir of productive capacity for the world..
She therefore said the 6000 kilometers gas pipeline project speaks a volume.
The gas pipeline project is an initiative of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Kingdom.of Morocco and former President Muhammadu Buhari.
She equally commended other members of ECOWAS for buying into the project.
She said: “As you know, what used to be called the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline was very much introduced by the architects of this idea, which is, of course, much more than just a pipeline.
“It’s a political project. Let’s not hide ourselves. It’s a political project, and the architects of this project were His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, and the presidents of Nigeria, who all supported this great political idea.
“And why am I saying it’s a political idea? The reason is very simple. It’s not just a trans-country, 6,000 kilometers gas pipeline, so 15 BCM, 30 BCM crossing, or bringing back development and monetizing local African resources to build industries and bring in access for modern forms of energy to the population, to 400 million people in 13 countries. It’s not only that.
“It’s because the world and Europe and our allies in the Atlantic Basin seem to have finally understood that the only way for the world to survive, the only way for Europe, the only way for several countries, and I don’t want to start in a, again, a dichotomy between the global north and the global south, but at least let me just say that for the world to produce any growth, any growth between now and the end of the 21st century, because if you look around, Asian countries’ growth is peaking or at least reaching a plateau. South American countries and Southeast Asian countries are also reaching a plateau in terms of growth. So the last reservoir of productive capacity for the world is Africa.
“So that’s why this pipeline is very much a political pipeline, and that’s also the reason why we, as the Kingdom of Morocco, really want to thank our partners, our friends in ECOWAS for sticking and being persistent and resistant in making sure that the work continues on this political vision and political project for Africa and also for the rest of the world.
“And we’re also happy because now it’s very much embedding in its name the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, the Atlantic vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, who wants to unlock countries of the Sahel, giving them access to the Atlantic, giving them access to prosperity.”
Ben-Ali warned that careful and uninterrupted structured financing is need for fruitful completion of the project.
“If we don’t structure those financing very carefully, but also on an uninterrupted basis, until delivery.
“we know that the only way for us to make this pipeline, and I’m very happy to see additional discussions on renewable energy projects, which are very, very important for Morocco, as you know, given that it’s the first key pillar of our energy strategy, is because we don’t know how to pitch and finance trans-country, trans-continental infrastructure, connectivity infrastructure, including gas pipelines, if we don’t structure those financing very carefully, but also on an uninterrupted basis, until delivery.
“And once the pipeline is delivered, it has to be filled in. So that’s why I’m very much grateful for the great energy that we’re having in this ministerial meeting, very grateful for the invitation with our friends from Mauritania, wishing all success to our ministerial meeting.
“We will get the work going now on making sure that this connectivity project, become a reality. So rest assured, ladies and gentlemen, excellencies, and dear friends, that the Kingdom of Morocco remains firmly, firmly committed to ensure that these projects, these connectivity projects, these prosperity projects, these political vision projects, come to fruition.”
