Denver- The President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, highlighted Morocco’s maritime infrastructure as an example of excellence in a phone conversation with Nigerian ministerial officials during a two-day performance retreat in Abuja on Monday, October 11.
Adesina urged that Nigerian officials “should not be decongesting the seaports,” and suggested that they should be “transforming the seaports,” instead. The African Development Bank President suggested that Nigerian officials should consider looking at Morocco’s Tangier-Med Port as an example.
Adesina’s favorable assessment of the Tangier-Med port is a result of a visit to the port’s facilities in 2018.
“When I undertook the tour of Tangiers Seaport in Morocco, I was impressed with what I saw on the ground. When I first arrived at Tangiers Seaport I thought they were on national holiday but I later discovered that machines, technology have taken the work of humans. Nigeria should learn from Morocco,” Adesina emphasized.
The Tangier-Med Port has established itself as one of the region’s busiest ports, and has attracted business contracts from major global shipping companies. Morocco has undertaken extensive renovations and upgrades to the port’s infrastructure in an effort to improve efficiency, and handle the enormous volume of shipping traffic.
Analysts from Jeune Afrique have noted the port’s continued progress despite the global recession from COVID-19. The volume at Tangier-Med’s port often surpasses other major shipping ports in the Mediterranean.
The African Development Bank President recommended the improvements to Nigeria as the African country strives to reduce its economic debt. Although the country has the largest economy in Africa in terms of per capita Gross Domestic Production (GDP), inefficiency and corruption, along with the negative effects of COVID-19, have left Nigeria mired in an extensive amount of external debt.
