As the Kingdom of Morocco is currently celebrating the 20th anniversary of the enthronement of its King, Nezha Alaoui M’Hammdi, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Ethiopia sees cooperation between Morocco and Ethiopia, since the King’s visit to Ethiopia in November 2016, as reaching an all-time high. Within a win-win partnership, the bilateral relationship is going from strength to strength in many fields.
The tradition of friendship and fruitful cooperation linking Morocco and Ethiopia is underlined by the two sides’ increasing visits exchanges of officials, which confirms the common wish to further reinforce their ties so as to give a further impetus to the already existing cooperation.
Ethiopia is considered as a strategic partner for Morocco, regarding its important regional position and its role in sustaining peace and stability in the region of the Horn of Africa, according to the Embassy of Morocco.
“His Majesty’s 2016 Visit to Ethiopia was a historic moment in our bilateral relations and allowed the signature of 12 Agreements, which include the MoU to set a factory for fertilizers production, named Dire Dawa Fertilizer Complex. The plant, which will soon go operational, is to help Ethiopia reach self-sufficiency in fertilizer production, with prospects of investing in its potential for exportation,” said the embassy’s statement.
In addition to the OCP project, Morocco has conducted, via the OCP office in Addis Ababa, a soil fertility mapping, to figure out the formula for customized fertilizers, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture & Natural Resources and the Agricultural Transformation Agency.
The reforms in the economic sector are encouraging the private sector to settle their business in Ethiopia, which is nowadays attracting more and more the attention of the Moroccan companies. Ethiopia also provides a very attractive market and its Government’s policy of reforms is creating conditions to favor economic development, including through more foreign investment.
In this perspective, Ethiopia has been selected as a guest of honor in the Africa Development Forum, which was organized in Casablanca, Morocco, on 15 and 16 March 2019. Considered as one the most important investment platform in Africa, this Forum has witnessed the participation of a very important delegation, led by Dr. Aklilu Hailemichael, State Minister for Business Diplomacy and Diaspora.
Ethiopia has also participated, for the first time and with an important delegation, including public actors and private sector, in the 14th Edition of the International Agriculture Fair, held in Morocco, from 16 to 21 April 2019.
Among others, the fields of renewable energy, logistics, and education, etc., in which the Kingdom of Morocco has accumulated huge expertise, are also set to boost bilateral ties between the two countries to illustrate an African model in the South-South cooperation.
In this respect, and following the Agreements signed in 2016, Tanger Med, in logistics, and the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (Masen), in the energy sector, are currently developing projects and sharing the Moroccan expertise with their Ethiopian counterparts.
Morocco, considering the benefits of capacity building in development, has raised the quota of scholarships granted to the Ethiopian authorities to 50 places for the academic year of 2019/2020.
“The pace and scope of what we have achieved in a short time are extraordinary. We have a great deal to look forward and seize the shared willingness to boost bilateral trade ties and benefit from the huge opportunities to even greater cooperation between Morocco and Ethiopia,” said a statement from the Embassy.
The Ethiopian Herald August 1/2019
BY STAFF REPORTER
