Russia keen on investing in mega gas pipeline project from Nigeria to North Africa

Russia is seriously interested in investing in a mega pipeline project to bring Nigerian gas to North Africa and Europe, Nigeria's oil minister Timipre Sylva said.

"The Russians were with me in the office last week. They are very desirous to invest in this project and there are lots of other people who are also desirous to invest in the project," Timipre Sylva told reporters in Abuja.

Since the start of Russia's conflict with Ukraine, Africa's gas reserves have come under increasing scrutiny, with the European Union, in particular, looking for alternatives to its gas supplies from Russia.

Nigeria and Morocco first signed the agreement on the project in December 2016. Besides linking the two countries, the 5,660 km (3,517 miles) pipeline is also expected to connect some other African countries to Europe.

Sylva said the pipeline would be an extension of a pipeline that has been carrying gas from southern Nigeria to Benin, Ghana and Togo since 2010. "We want to continue this same pipeline to Morocco along the coast.

There has long been interest in bringing Nigerian gas to North Africa, with Algeria leading discussions in 2002 for a similar pipeline project through the Sahel region.

Nigeria, an OPEC member, has huge gas reserves, the largest in Africa and the seventh-largest in the world.

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