RABAT, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Morocco and Nigeria renewed their
commitment on Sunday to building a gas pipeline that will take
an onshore and offshore route and a fertilisers plant, the royal
palace in Rabat said.
The renewed commitment came during a phone call between
Morocco's King Mohammed VI and Nigerian President Muhammadu
Buhari, the palace said. The two countries agreed to the
pipeline in December 2016 and launched feasibility studies.
The pipeline will be 5,660 km (3,517 miles) long, the two
countries said in June 2018, adding that construction will be in
phases covering 25 years.
The two leaders also agreed to speed up efforts to launch a
fertilizers factory in Nigeria by Morocco's OCP Group, the
world's biggest phosphates exporter.
The plant will produce 750,000 tonnes of ammonia and 1
million tonnes of fertilizers and is expected to be operational
by 2024, OCP officials told Reuters in July.
Like many other Moroccan firms, including banks, insurers
and real estate companies, OCP has been expanding its
investments in Sub-Saharan Africa in recent years, boosting the
kingdom's economic clout.