The General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) and the government of Nigeria’s Ogun State signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday in Abeokuta (100 km from Lagos) to enhance collaboration in several key economic sectors.
Signed by the Vice President of CGEM’s Africa Commission, Ali Zerouali, and the Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, this agreement aims to establish a conducive framework for launching joint projects in areas of mutual interest, promoting investment and innovation, and boosting cultural and commercial exchanges between Morocco and Ogun State.
The partnership covers various sectors, including agriculture, agribusiness, and agrotechnology, where both parties commit to sharing best practices in agricultural technologies and innovations.
In the industrial sector, the MoU outlines close collaboration on the development of industrial parks, particularly in the automotive sector. In the field of energy and sustainable development, both parties plan joint initiatives to promote renewable energy, particularly solar, hydro, and wind power.
Other areas are also included in the MoU such as infrastructure development, exploring investment opportunities in road, rail, housing, and port development projects, as well as education and human capital development through exchange programs and capacity-building initiatives.
On this occasion, Zerouali highlighted the importance of this multidimensional and mutually beneficial partnership with Ogun State, noting that "this partnership fully aligns with our shared ambition to structure and promote integrated regional value chains within the global economy, particularly in strategic sectors such as agribusiness, energy, training, and industry at large."
Morocco, under the enlightened leadership of King Mohammed VI, is emerging as a credible and stable hub for South-South cooperation, he added, emphasizing CGEM’s active commitment to fostering industrial and economic co-development on the continent by enhancing complementarities, knowledge transfer, and synergies among African private sector players.
Thus, the partnership with Nigeria serves as a strategic lever to catalyze cross-investment flows, strengthen intra-African trade, and build competitive, sustainable, and job-creating industrial ecosystems together, he added.
For his part, Abiodun stated that Ogun State could benefit from Morocco's experience in education, technology, and agriculture, as well as in other sectors where the Kingdom has demonstrated its expertise.
Highlighting Morocco’s favorable investment environment, the Nigerian governor pointed out that Morocco has established itself as a leading industrial platform in the automotive and aerospace sectors, "a success story that could be replicated in Nigeria with CGEM’s introduction to Ogun."
Abiodun also expressed hope in fully leveraging the MoU’s potential, noting that Morocco’s leadership in the phosphate industry suggests promising partnerships in the agricultural and agribusiness sectors.
