Wale Edun, Nigeria’s minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, says the United States has expressed interest in investing in the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) project.
Gatekeepers News reports that Edun made the disclosure in a statement released on Saturday. He highlighted outcomes from the ministry’s bilateral meetings during the recently concluded 2025 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group in Washington, D.C.
On June 1, 2022, Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the proposal from the then Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to partner with Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for the construction of the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline.
This approval came shortly before the NNPC was transformed into a commercial entity, NNPC Limited. Following the approval, the NNPC, under former group chief executive officer (GCEO) Mele Kyari, signed several agreements with Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Benin, and Guinea to advance the NMGP project.
Kyari, during the CERAWeek Conference in Houston on March 3, 2024, announced that a final investment decision (FID) on the pipeline would be reached by December 2024. However, Kyari was later sacked and succeeded by Bayo Ojulari.
Giving an update, Edun said he held a high-level discussion with Opayemi Cardoso, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and officials from the U.S. State Department.
According to him; the United States emphasized its keen interest in Nigeria’s ongoing economic reforms and stressed the importance of continued engagement to strengthen investor confidence.
He said, “Key areas of interest includes U.S. interest in investments in Nigeria’s natural gas sector particularly the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline given the country’s vast gas reserves.”
“Discussions also highlighted opportunities in infrastructure, especially digital connectivity, where U.S.-led transatlantic fiber optic projects could indirectly benefit Nigeria and support broader digital development goals.”
“Agriculture was identified as another strategic sector for collaboration, with the U.S. expressing interest in supporting Nigeria’s efforts to boost productivity, enhance value chains, and strengthen food security through investment and technical cooperation.”
Edun also noted that the Nigerian delegation engaged with the Gates Foundation, which expressed willingness to bridge some funding gaps created by the downsizing of USAID programs and to offer technical assistance.
Additionally, Nigeria’s representatives met with Makhtar Diop, managing director and CEO of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), who pledged the corporation’s support for Nigeria’s “M300 initiative” as well as for investments in the country’s airport and logistics sectors.
