Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on global energy giant Vitol Group to invest in Nigeria’s ambitious $25 billion Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline, which aims to channel natural gas to Europe through West Africa.
During a meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday, Shettima highlighted the project as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s energy transition strategy, aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s sweeping economic reforms.
“For the first time in 25 years, we have a leader bold enough to remove fuel subsidies, unify exchange rates, and initiate vital tax reforms,” Shettima said, praising President Tinubu’s economic vision.
He urged Vitol to leverage its expertise and influence in the LNG and APG sectors to support the transcontinental pipeline, noting Nigeria’s global ranking as the holder of the eighth-largest natural gas reserves.
“We are more of a gas economy than an oil one,” he said. “Our gas sector is stable, transparent, and ripe for investment. We want to take our gas to Europe—and we need not just funding, but technical know-how.”
Shettima emphasized that the project will be governed with full transparency, and encouraged Vitol to use its global network to mobilize resources.
In response, Vitol’s Chief Financial Officer, Jeffrey Dellapina, reaffirmed the company’s longstanding commitment to Nigeria, expressing readiness to provide capital and continue strategic partnerships. Vitol’s Head of Public Affairs, Murtala Baloni, also underscored the company’s financing role in NNPC’s Project Gazelle, to which it contributed $300 million during the pandemic.
Launched through a series of bilateral agreements in 2018, the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline will span 5,660 km, crossing 15 African countries. It aims to boost energy access, regional trade, and industrial development. The multi-phase project will link Nigerian gas fields to Europe via West Africa, significantly reducing gas flaring and creating job opportunities across the continent.
