Morocco keen on deepening investment, trade with Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, July 30, 2023 (FBC) – Ethiopia and Morocco have been enjoying good relationships and fruitful cooperation since recent years, Morocco Ambassador M’hammdi said.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Ambassador Nezha Alaoui M’hammdi noted that bilateral cooperation between the two countries goes back to half a century.

Since then the countries have enjoyed good relationship and fruitful cooperation that was boosted by the visit of King Mohammed VI of Morocco to Ethiopia in November 2016, she added.

According to her, the visit gave the opportunity to sign around 16 agreements to work together in strategic fields such as agriculture, food sovereignty, education, investment and economic cooperation.

Morocco’s commitment to work with Ethiopia on the agricultural field is not only exclusively about fertilizer, it is about agriculture in general, the ambassador stated.

“Through this partnership we would like to also share our know-how, what we have been able to achieve in Morocco. In Morocco we have what we call Green Morocco Plan. It is a governmental program that has been developed more than 20 years ago; and it is a comprehensive development program.”

Ambassador M’hammdi said that it is a comprehensive framework to boost agriculture and therefore to ensure the food sovereignty of the country, adding that partnering with Ethiopia in this regard is an ambition of my country to share the know-how that we have been able to achieve.

Speaking about the growing cooperation in the engagement of the private sector, she pointed out that two delegations representing the Moroccan banks, namely Attijariwafa Bank and Bank of Africa, have visited Ethiopia in May and in June respectively.

“The aim of this visit is to explore with Ethiopian authorities how we can work in the banking system together. As you know the country is going through a very dynamic reforms process here in Ethiopia, and the banking system is opening up and attracting a lot of interest and a lot of proposals for good cooperation and also a fruitful partnership for the benefit of both sides,” the ambassador elaborated.

Ambassador M’hammdi also said that Morocco “is very keen not only to develop cooperation, investment and trade with African countries, including Ethiopia which is a strategic partner; but also to strengthen South-South cooperation.”

Regarding trade, she stated that the potential is very big in terms of complimenting each other and “what we need is to know each other on how to make it beneficial for both countries.”

Sport is also another field of very promising cooperation between the countries, according to the ambassador.

“We can share expertise and achievements in football with Ethiopia, but Ethiopia can also share with Morocco the great potential that the country has in terms of athletics.”

Ethiopian athletes are very famous around the world and sport in general is very good field of cooperation and field of mutual inspiration between the countries, Ambassador M’hammdi explained.

She recalled the recently meeting of the foreign affairs ministers of the two countries in Nairobi during the AU summit, pointing out that it is another illustration of the willingness of the counties to meet and update each other.

The next Ethio-Morocco joint commission meeting will also be an opportunity to review the legal framework, set up the follow-up mechanism and also see where we still can have other agreements in other fields of common interest.