The heads of state of members of the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, signed an intergovernmental agreement backing the $25 billion African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, or AAGP, according to a July 19 joint statement from Morocco's state-owned National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines, or ONHYM, and Nigeria's state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Co., or NNPC. The joint statement said the signing of the agreement marked the start of a new phase for the project that will see the creation of the AAGP's governing bodies, adding that the next steps included signing a similar agreement with Mauritania.

Morocco first announced plans to build the AAGP in 2016. The pipeline would connect Nigeria's hydrocarbon-rich Niger Delta to Morocco by following West Africa's coast, with a total length of 6,900 kilometers (4,287 miles). The AAGP is currently set to begin operations in 2031, but has faced repeated postponements to its final investment decision. The pipeline has been divided into three distinct segments, namely Morocco-Senegal, Senegal-Cote d'Ivoire and Cote d'Ivoire-Nigeria.