Rabat – King Mohammed VI and president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, chaired, on Friday at the Abuja presidential palace, the ceremony to launch a strategic partnership to develop the fertilizer industry in Nigeria.
The two leaders also chaired the signing ceremony of several bilateral agreements on the fields of agriculture, fisheries, air services and renewable energy.
The strategic partnership to develop the fertilizer industry in Nigeria is part of a shared vision by Morocco and Nigeria for the development of Africa and a strong will to reinforce economic ties between the two countries.
This south-south partnership touches on all the agricultural value chain, based on fertilizing solutions that are adapted to the Nigerian soil and cultivation, to the availability of fertilizers on the Nigerian market and to the setting up of support measures for local farmers. It also provides for developing a platform for fertilizer production in Nigeria, and reinforcing the fertilizer market in this country.
This collaboration seeks to secure fertilizer supply for the Nigerian market at competitive prices, share a real know-how in terms of developing local blending facilities, promote innovation, research and development, reinforce local distribution channels, and extend the existing agricultural systems.
The final goal is to develop a sustainable agriculture in Nigeria while helping with the amelioration of farmers’ daily life in a spirit of south-south partnership.
Afterwards, King Mohammed VI and the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria chaired the signing ceremony of two agreements related to this partnership.
The first is an agreement between OCP-Ltd and Dangote Industries Limited for the development of a platform for fertilizer production in Nigeria, inked by Mostafa Terrab, CEO of OCP-Ltd, and Aliko Dangote, CEO of Dangote Industries Limited.
The second is a draft agreement between the OCP-Ltd and the association of fertilizer producers and suppliers in Nigeria for the development of the fertilizer market in Nigeria, inked by Mostafa Terrab and Thomas Etuh, chairman of the said association.
The two leaders also chaired the signing of five cooperation agreements:
– An agreement on visa exemption for official diplomatic and service passports, inked by foreign minister Salaheddine Mezouar and Geofrey Onyeama, Nigerian foreign minister.
– A bilateral agreement on air services, signed by Salaheddine Mezouar and Geofrey Onyeama.
– A cooperation agreement on fisheries, inked by agriculture and fisheries minister Aziz Akhannouch and Audu Ogbeh, minister of agriculture and rural development.
– A memorandum of understanding on the agricultural field, inked, on the Moroccan side, by Aziz Akhannouch, Hicham Belmrah, chairman of the board of the “Mutuelle Agricole Marocaine d’Assurance,” and Tariq Sijilmassi, president of the board of the “Crédit Agricole du Maroc,” and on the Nigerian side by Audu Ogbeh, minister of agriculture and rural development.
A cooperation agreement on the renewable energy field between MASEN and the Nigerian ministry of energy, civil engineering and housing, inked by Mustapha Bakkoury, chairman of MASEN board and Babatunde Raji Fashola, minister of energy, civil engineering and housing.
