Environmental groups in West Africa have expressed concerns about the pipeline project subverting the countries’ rights to seek alternative energy options, as well as strengthening the energy monopoly of oil giants Chevron and Shell in the region. In 2020, a West Africa sub-regional study was published by civil society groups from Togo, Ghana, Nigeria and the Republic of Benin. The study documented several negative socio-economic impacts linked to fossil fuel projects including the WAGP, as well as community concerns in relation to its expansion to other West African countries. 

First of all, there are security measures put in place - including a restriction zone of about 1 km around the gas pipelines - that directly impact the activities of fishermen. The "forbidden zones" mean access to some key fishing areas is no longer possible. The resulting decrease in fish catch leads to lower incomes for fishermen and women fish processors, affecting communities’ livelihoods along the coast. Frontline communities that were consulted for the study expressed their fear of losing their jobs due to fish production in West Africa being impacted by fossil fuel extraction, as well as climate change. This will be exacerbated by the Nigeria-Morocco expansion along the entire West Africa coast.

Communities also had to be relocated for the construction of the WAGP. The loss of housing and lands made their lives more difficult as compensation processes proved to be inadequate. The relocation of communities from areas they are dependent on for income generation affects their income levels and increases poverty.

The emissions resulting from gas extraction contributes to global warming that is worsening the climate change impacts already felt across West Africa. In the past decade, the West African coast has experienced increasing floods, damaging infrastructure as well as people's homes and assets, and upending farmers’ livelihoods. Deadly torrential rains have wreaked havoc on the coast, threatening communities and ecosystems.

Three factors contribute to the degradation of the coast: erosion, flooding, and pollution, mainly triggered by poorly designed infrastructure and inadequate management of their environmental impacts. A World Bank study details how climate change will affect Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania, Senegal, and Togo. By the end of the century, these countries could experience a rise in sea level of more than one metre.

The World Bank warns that the West Africa coast is already at a tipping point and that climate change will be catastrophic for coastal communities, their health, the natural environment and their livelihoods. As population increases and coastal cities grow, these risks of sea-level rise and natural defences crumbling are severe. Another study focusing on African fisheries suggests that climate change will have a significant impact on Africa’s marine fisheries as early as 2050, affecting food security and revenues of those dependent on the resources for their livelihoods.