Meeting in Washington highlights role of Morocco, Nigeria in Africa’s energy Sector
Participants at a meeting held Friday in Washington on the role of Nigeria and Morocco in regional cooperation and the future of the energy sector in Africa, stressed that both countries can benefit from the transformation of the global energy market needs, and that this strong bilateral partnership plays an important role in securing the global energy future.
During this meeting, organized by the US-Nigeria Trade Council in collaboration with the Moroccan Embassy in Washington, participants underlined that the partnership not only promotes prosperity on the African continent, but also helps develop the future of energy regionally and internationally.
At this meeting, held on the sidelines of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, participants also stressed that the challenges posed on a global scale, including the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the energy and food crisis, as well as climate change, make the Morocco-Nigeria partnership a model for developing the future of renewable energy in the world.
In this regard, the Nigerian Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, highlighted the efforts made by Morocco and Nigeria to ensure access to energy and combat climate change. This includes, he said, increasing investment in the renewable energy sector, especially solar energy.
For her part, the director general of the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), Amina Benkhadra, said that cooperation between Morocco and Nigeria aims to establish a model of South-South cooperation and acts as a catalyst for African economic opportunities.
She recalled that King Mohammed VI has been working for more than two decades to give a strong impetus to South-South cooperation and mutually beneficial partnership between the two sides, explaining that the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline project represents an ideal framework for joint action.
Director General and CEO of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Aminu Umar-Sadiq, reviewed the development of the partnership process between Morocco and Nigeria, which started with the import by his country of fertilizers from Morocco before developing through the huge gas pipeline project.
In this regard, he expressed his gratitude to the King of Morocco and praised the role of Moroccan institutions that have contributed to the development of phosphate import by Nigeria.
In this connection, U.S. Special Representative for Trade Dilawar Syed stressed the importance of cooperation between Morocco and Nigeria in the framework of their partnership to ensure the success of the energy transition of the African continent, noting that it is a partnership that links two great countries in this field.
“Coordination and cooperation in the field of energy transition is a good thing,” Syed told MAP on the sidelines of this meeting that pondered on the future of the energy sector in Africa.
“We continue to encourage everyone to go for renewable energy,” he added. “It’s good for the planet and for the African continent,” Dilawar said.
The U.S. official also highlighted the long-term potential offered by renewable energies to the African continent, as well as the promising prospects offered by hydrocarbon development for Morocco.
