Official: Niger Announces Cancellation of Gas Pipeline Project to Europe via Algeria

ALDAR/
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The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Niger has officially announced his country’s decision to cancel the project that aimed to build a pipeline to transport natural gas from Nigeria to Europe through Algerian territory. This decision comes as a result of the noticeable deterioration in diplomatic relations between Niamey and Algiers.

The project, which for a long time was considered a key bet to enhance European energy security and strengthen economic partnerships between African and European countries, was intended to link Nigeria’s rich gas reserves to European markets, with the pipeline passing through Niger and then Algeria to reach the Mediterranean shores.

However, recent political disputes between the authorities in Niamey and their counterparts in Algiers have cast a shadow over the project, prompting Niger to make a final decision to withdraw. Niger’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the ongoing tensions and the lack of a reliable cooperative environment between the two countries no longer allow the project to move forward.