Nigeria, Libya Discuss Strategic Gas Pipeline to Strengthen Energy Ties

The Nigerian government has initiated discussions with Libya on the construction of a gas pipeline connecting the two nations.

This was revealed by Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, during a meeting with Libya’s Oil Minister, Dr. Khalifa AbduAlsadik, at the Gastech Exhibition and Conference 2024 in Houston, USA.

Ekpo indicated that the proposed pipeline would extend from Nigeria to Libya, aiming to enhance energy cooperation between the countries.

Ekpo said: “Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas),Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, meets with Libya’s Minister of Oil, Dr. Khalifa AbduAlsadik, on the sidelines of the Gastech Exhibition and Conference 2024 holding in Houston, USA, to discuss the possibility of developing a regional gas pipeline from Nigeria to Libya.

“This strategic meeting aims to strengthen energy cooperation between the two nations.

“On the Nigerian delegation were Mr. Olalekan Ogunleye, EVP Gas NNPC Ltd, Mr. Maher Giundi, International Business Advisor to the GCEO of NNPCL and Mr. Odiong Ekanem, Technical Adviser to Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas); while the Libyan team had Dr. Basteet Al Ashab, Mr. Khalid Jatbi and Mr. Yousef Al Shatwi.”

This potential project follows ongoing discussions around the creation of a regional pipeline. As two of Africa’s leading oil and gas producers, Nigeria and Libya have been exploring this collaboration for some time.

In 2022, Libya’s former Oil Minister, Mohamed Aoun, suggested that the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP), a $13 billion project, should pass through Libya instead of Algeria.

The NMGP, currently under development, is set to span 5,600 km and will link Nigeria to 13 African nations, eventually supplying gas to both African markets and Europe.

The pipeline is planned to pass through Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco.