Last update:
2018-10-26

Nigeria-Morocco Offshore and Onshore Gas Pipeline

Morocco and Nigeria sign partnership agreement in 2016 for a gas pipeline amid rejection by national, regional, and international NGOs and EJOs due to the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the project.



Description:

In December 2016, King Mohammed VI of Morocco officially announced the construction of the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline. The idea of a trans-Saharan gas pipeline was already proposed in the 1970s with a goal of diversifying Europe’s gas resources .“For economic, political, legal and security reasons, the choice was made on a combined onshore and offshore route,” Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the two authorities supervising the project said in the joint declaration. 

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Basic Data
Name of conflict:Nigeria-Morocco Offshore and Onshore Gas Pipeline
Country:Morocco
Accuracy of locationLOW (Country level)
Source of Conflict
Type of conflict. 1st level:Fossil Fuels and Climate Justice/Energy
Type of conflict. 2nd level:Intensive food production (monoculture and livestock)
Other
Pollution related to transport (spills, dust, emissions)
Climate change related conflicts (glaciers and small islands)
Specific commodities:Natural Gas
Project Details and Actors
Project details

The pipeline will be approximately 5,660-km long and its construction works will be in phases covering 25 years.

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Level of Investment for the conflictive project20,000,000,000
Type of populationUnknown
Start of the conflict:12/2016
Company names or state enterprises:Ihmar Capital from Morocco - The Moroccan investment partner in the partnership with Nigeria to constrct the pipeline.
Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) from Nigeria - NSIA is the Nigerian counterpart to the Moroccan Ithmar Capital, the two investment partners in the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project.
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) from Nigeria
Relevant government actors:Moroccan Office for Hydrocarbons and Mining (ONHYM)
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)
International and Finance InstitutionsThe Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available:1. ATTAC Morocco
2. Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nigeria
3. Peoples Advancement Centre, Nigeria
4. Justica Ambiental, Mozambique
5. Centre for Children’s Health Education, Orientation and Protection (CEE-HOPE), Nigeria.
6. Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD), Nigeria.
7. Les Amis de la Terre Togo (ADT-Togo), Togo
8. Jeune Chretien en Action Pour le Development (JCAD), Togo
9. Centre for Social Studies and Development- We the People, Nigeria
10. Oilwatch Ghana, Ghana
11. Environmental Justice North Africa (EJNA)
12. Green Concern for Development (GREENCODE), Nigeria
13. Social Action, Nigeria
14. Rainforest Resource and Development Centre (RRDC), Nigeria
15. Lokiaka Community Development Centre, Nigeria
16. Green Alliance of Nigeria (GAN)
17. Struggle to Economize Future Environment (SEFE), Cameroon
18. 350.org, Africa
19. Gastivists, International
20. Youth Climate Coalition, UK
21. Platform London, UK
22. Observatori del Deute en la Globalització (ODG), Catalunya
23. CoalSwarm, USA
24. Millieudefensie/Friends of the Earth Netherlands
25. Amigos de la Tierra (FoE Spain)
26. Oil Change International, International
27. Corporate Europe Observatory, Belgium
28. Association Pierredomachal, France
29. Ecologistas en Acción (Spain)
30. Attac (France)
31. Climáximo (Portugal)
32. Friends of the earth (USA)
33. Food & Water Europe
34. Friends of the Earth Europe
35. Non au Gazoduc Fos Dunkerque, France
36. Leave it in the Ground Initiative (LINGO)
37. Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, Nigeria
38. Egi Human Rights and Environmental Initiative, Nigeria
39. Ikarama Women Association, Nigeria
40. Oil watch international
Conflict & Mobilization
IntensityLOW (some local organising)
Reaction stagePREVENTIVE resistance (precautionary phase)
Groups mobilizing:International ejos
Local ejos
Forms of mobilization:Creation of alternative reports/knowledge
Development of a network/collective action
Development of alternative proposals
Media based activism/alternative media
Official complaint letters and petitions
Appeals/recourse to economic valuation of the environment
Impacts
Environmental ImpactsVisible: Global warming
Potential: Air pollution, Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Waste overflow, Oil spills, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality, Other Environmental impacts
Other Environmental impactsMonoculture and Agro-industry
Health ImpactsPotential: Accidents, Occupational disease and accidents, Other environmental related diseases
Socio-economical ImpactsPotential: Increase in Corruption/Co-optation of different actors, Loss of livelihood, Land dispossession
Outcome
Project StatusPlanned (decision to go ahead eg EIA undertaken, etc)
Conflict outcome / response:Strengthening of participation
Proposal and development of alternatives:- Shift to renewable non-fossil energy sources
- Shift away from agribusiness and industrial clusters and focus on small-scale farmers
- Prioritising local community needs over energy needs of multinational corporations
Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?:Not Sure
Briefly explain:Outcome still not clear. The construction works will be in phases covering 25 years.
Sources & Materials

News article about the project, published on 26 January 2017

Economic Development in the Pipeline
[click to view]

Article about the Nigeria-Morocco pipeline plan, published on 27 January 2017

Morocco, Nigeria plan for a trans-African gas pipeline
[click to view]

News article about the pipeline project developments, published on 16 May 2017

Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project Taking Shape
[click to view]

A report on the project , published on 30 July 2018

Morocco-Nigeria Gas Pipeline: Smart Move for Economy or an Environmental Disaster
[click to view]

Press release about the African Bank focus to accelerate industrialisation of Africa, published on 14 May 2018

2018 Annual Meetings focus on accelerating Africa’s industrialization
[click to view]

11 June 2018, Reuters. Morocco, Nigeria agree on next steps for offshore/onshore gas pipeline
[click to view]

Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network

[1] Collective statement by 40 different national, regional, and international NGOs and EJOs, published on 23 March 2018

Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline: Not in Our Interest
[click to view]

Is the Nigeria-Moroccan pipeline project possible, or is it just a pipe dream?. Fumnanya Agbugah - Ezeana. Jun. 12 2018 (a good report)
[click to view]

Meta information
Last update18/08/2019
Conflict ID:3655
Comments
Legal notice / Aviso legal
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