Nigeria-Morocco Gas Project (NMGP) On The Move

It is called a project for peace, African economic integration, and co-development. It also vibrates as a project for present and future generations. The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Project is covered by a 2016 agreement signed by leaders of Nigeria and Morocco. Morocco which mooted the idea says the project is for the benefit of the entire Ecowas region and Morocco. Certainly, this is good news for stakeholders especially West Africa which has some challenges in the energy sector, evidenced by power cuts in some of the countries over the last 15 years as a surge in population and attendant activities have caused overwhelming demand for the product.

Though Nigeria is a member of OPEC, suggestive of its immense resources for oil and gas production, the West African powerhouse cannot boast a steady power supply. In fact, in Nigeria, almost every household and institution have generator sets as a stopgap measure in the predictable event that power from regular sources snaps. The second-largest economy in the sub-region, Ghana, grappled with its worst episode of power crises between 2014 and 2016,  which capsized the country’s economy from the highest growth rate to tottering levels.  The least said about the rest of the region the better. Despite the hitches, Ghana is committed to supplying Togo and Benin according to a binding agreement.  Other well-placed nations do the same for other nations on the basis of dissimilar comparative advantages.

The philosophy behind the transnational gas project and the pathway to the realization of the vision of the Moroccan Monarch, King Mohammed VI found a clear expression in his speech to mark the 47th anniversary of the Green March of Morocco. The occasion is symbolic of Morocco’s liberation struggle to recover its Sahara from Spain, using a channel on the pacific. Onwards, Morocco uses each step of the way for internal reorganization that ensures the development of the country and the betterment of citizens. A speech read by the King in Rabat to commemorate the event indicated thus, ”the continuing marches I have been spearheading aim to make sure our citizens lead a dignified life, especially in those Saharan regions which are dear to my heart.”

The foregoing paragraphs reveal a two-dimensional approach to development by Morocco which is its own internal development and external partnerships, especially with the burgeoning Sub-Saharan region. The Green March has an integrated development program with a well-oiled budgetary mechanism to the tune of 77 billion Moroccan dirhams.  Mostly targeted at its Saharan southern region, the ambitious program comes with modern highways and communication systems, construction of ports and industries, agricultural development as well as the proper management and utilization of phosphate, water, and other natural resources. In all these, under the able direction of the King, Morocco wants the unleashing of the full potential in all Moroccans including the youth for self-employment and as a shoulder to the wheels of the national cause. Importantly, the direction to objectives is signposted by culture, the indigenous culture of Morocco for which the ”Hassani language and culture” are called into the mix for greater discipline.

Within the context of Ecowas and Morocco, the springboard is the Memoranda of Understanding signed in Rabat between Morocco and Nigeria and in Nouakchott with Mauritania and Senegal. These relate to the Gas project for the common use of Morocco and the Ecowas region. The population size of the spectrum is estimated at 440 million or more.