France, July 26 -- The agreement, signed by the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) at a summit in Sierra Leone on Monday, establishes the legal framework for the pipeline, which has been under discussion since 2016.

"Don't be surprised when the gas comes your way," quipped Julius Maada Bio, Sierra Leone's president and current head of Ecowas, following the signature.

The roughly 6,000km pipeline will run along Africa's Atlantic coast, carrying Nigerian natural gas to Morocco, before connecting with the existing Maghreb-Europe pipeline to Spain.

Construction is expected to start in 2028.

"The plan currently on the table envisages 30 billion cubic metres of gas per year, of which around 15 billion will go to Morocco and ...