The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, Mr. Mohamed Siddiqui, received yesterday, Monday July 29, 2024 in Rabat, his Nigerian counterpart, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Blue Economy, who is on a working visit to Morocco at the head of a high-level delegation.
This visit is part of the ongoing consultation and coordination between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It aims to strengthen bilateral relations in the maritime fisheries sector and the blue economy, explore new opportunities for cooperation and encourage mutual investments.
Bilateral meeting to strengthen cooperation in the field of maritime fisheries
During this meeting, the two ministers praised the exceptional quality of cooperation relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, and His Excellency President Bola Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The discussion focused on several strategic topics in the maritime fisheries sector, with emphasis on the common desire to strengthen cooperation. Priority areas include aquaculture, marine scientific research and the fishery processing industry. Training of sailors, maritime rescue and the fight against illegal fishing were also discussed, in addition to the marketing of marine products and the development of port infrastructure, with the exchange of experiences between the two countries.
-Visit to the port of Tangier Med
Following the bilateral meeting, the Nigerian delegation travelled to Tangier to visit the infrastructure of the Tangier Med port complex, recently ranked among the largest ports in the world in terms of container handling capacity. The visit highlighted Morocco’s success in port logistics and industrial innovation. It allowed the Nigerian delegation to discover the facilities of Tangier Med and learn about the latest developments in the field of maritime transport. The members of the delegation were informed that the port received the first large-scale vessel powered by methanol, which represents an important step in the process of reducing carbon emissions in maritime transport. The members of the delegation also visited the port complex’s car garage, which handled more than 570,000 new cars in 2023, including around 520,000 manufactured in Morocco and intended for export.
– Visit the digital auction of the Tangier fish market
The Nigerian delegation visited the digital fish auction market, to witness the process of digitizing public auctions for the sale of marine products, which is an innovative initiative of the National Fisheries Board as part of the process of modernizing the sector. These new measures aim to add value to fishery products, improve the reliability and speed of commercial transactions and improve the management of the sales process.
The members of the delegation were able to observe how this new device allows buyers to participate in the sale in a fluid, anonymous and digital way, thanks to the modernization of the work tools of sales managers and the introduction of modern technologies. This advance represents a major step towards other future improvements, such as distance selling.
Next visits to Dakhla and Agadir
During its 8-day stay, the Nigerian delegation, led by the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Blue Economy, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, will continue its program of visiting several structured projects across the Kingdom, including the cities of Dakhla, Agadir, Casablanca and Bouznika. These visits will strengthen the exchange of experiences and strategic partnerships between the two countries, while highlighting Morocco’s efforts in the field of sustainable and global development.
