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Rabat – Morocco’s Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani discussed ways to strengthen relations between Morocco and Ethiopia with the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The meeting took place on February 10 at the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the 33rd ordinary summit of the African Union (AU).
The two senior officials emphasized the good relations between Morocco and Ethiopia and expressed their countries’ willingness to further improve them, especially in the economic field.
“There are several joint projects between the two countries that are underway, while others are planned,” said El Othmani in a press conference following the meeting.
Morocco and Ethiopia need to diversify their economic cooperation, particularly in the areas of fertilizers, agriculture, and renewable energy, he stressed.
“We have a roadmap to develop our relations in several areas,” continued the Head of Government.
The two countries signed numerous agreements during King Mohammed VI’s visit to Ethiopia in 2016, he recalled.
During his visit to the East African country, King Mohammed chaired the signing ceremony of seven bilateral agreements between Moroccan and Ethiopian public institutions.
The agreements aimed to promote South-South partnership and provide an enhanced and operational legal framework for collaboration between the two countries.
The accords concern air services, trade, taxes, investments, agriculture, and renewable energy.
One of the most important agreements was a $3.5 billion-deal between Morocco’s phosphate industry leader OCP and the Ethiopian Ministry of Public Enterprise.
OCP pledged to build a large-scale fertilizer plant in Ethiopia in the hopes of increasing fertilizer usage across Africa.
The plant is expected to produce 2.5 million tonnes of fertilizer by 2022, helping Ethiopia become self-sufficient in terms of fertilizer.
