President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has called for a deeper bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Morocco to advance mutual economic interests.
He made the call on Wednesday while receiving the Moroccan Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Moha Ouali Tagma, during a courtesy visit at the National Assembly.
Describing Morocco as an emerging investment destination, Senator Akpabio said the North African country was becoming “a great partner to Nigeria in the economic sector.”
He noted that Nigeria had much to learn from Morocco, which he described as a country “all Nigerians want to do business with.”
The Senate President revealed that the Nigerian Parliament had already signed an agreement to establish a Nigeria-Morocco Friendship Group to strengthen existing bilateral ties.
“I am happy to note that while we are hoping to invest in Morocco and also pleading with Moroccan investors to come to Nigeria, that investment and that relationship in the commercial sense has already started,” he said.
He cited a $1.5 billion Moroccan investment in the fertiliser industry in his home state as an example of the growing economic partnership, adding that it would boost employment and benefit both nations.
Akpabio further emphasised Nigeria’s commitment to deepening cooperation in oil and gas with Morocco, referencing progress made on the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project.
“The Group CEO of NNPC recently announced that they had overcome the initial difficulty of taking the pipeline across the River Niger and are now heading to Morocco,” he stated. “Whatever hitches they had have now been surmounted and the project is on course.”
Earlier, Ambassador Tagma expressed appreciation to the Senate President for the audience and acknowledged Nigeria and Morocco as two key players in Africa.
He called for enhanced cooperation at both government and parliamentary levels and extended an invitation to the Nigerian Parliament for an official visit to Morocco.
PIAK