Africa's growth

West African leaders agree on giant gas pipeline

The West African Economic and Social Council (Ecowas) has agreed to build a gas pipeline between Nigeria and Morocco, international media reports.

On Sunday, the countries' leaders signed the agreement in Sierra Leone to build the 6,800-kilometer pipeline, which is expected to cost the equivalent of just over 240 billion kronor. When completed, the pipeline will connect 13 countries.

The company African Atlantic Gas Pipeline will be created to run the project, with headquarters in the Moroccan city of Casablanca.

Experts: The pipeline could be a power shift for Africa

Handled correctly, the new gas pipeline through West Africa could strengthen the continent's position internationally, experts tell the BBC.

The previous model of Africa’s natural gas being refined abroad and then sold back at three to four times the price must end, says energy expert Charles Majomi. It has meant a “total devaluation” of a resource that African countries have been fortunate to have, he adds.

“In addition to strengthening energy security, it will open up Africa as a corridor to international markets,” Ganiyat Adejoke Adesina-Uthman, a professor at the National Open University of Nigeria, told the BBC.