Morocco pushes African Atlantic Gas Pipeline into UN financing drive as 2026 FID deadline approaches
At a UN-backed financing summit, Morocco promoted the $25-$26 billion African Atlantic Gas Pipeline and urged multilateral banks and private investors to back the project before a targeted final investment decision in the fourth quarter of 2026, but no new funding was announced.
During a high-level UN Development Programme forum in New York, Morocco’s foreign minister presented the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline as a flagship initiative to link 13 West African nations and supply gas to Europe, seeking risk-mitigation tools and long-term private capital from multilateral banks. He highlighted the continent’s $181-$221 billion annual infrastructure financing shortfall and called for regional guarantee and co-investment schemes.
UNCTAD deputy secretary-general Pedro Manuel Moreno stressed the importance of stronger project pipelines to attract private money. No concrete financing pledge emerged, but Morocco is exploring support from the U.S. Export-Import Bank and the World Bank, with the latter declining comment. The pipeline, estimated at $25-$26 billion, would stretch roughly 6,800-6,900 km, carry up to 30 billion cubic metres of gas per year, and aim for a final investment decision by Q4 2026, though the timetable has slipped repeatedly. Regional agreements with ECOWAS and a bilateral accord between Nigeria and Morocco are still pending, and the project faces scrutiny over environmental safeguards and operational risks highlighted by analysts.
Why it matters
Financing the pipeline could transform West African energy markets and provide Europe with new gas supplies, influencing regional economies and climate strategies.
In this story
