Morocco Strengthens Economic Partnership with Egypt at Cairo Investment Forum
Omar Hajira, Secretary of State for Foreign Trade, emphasized on Sunday in Cairo that the visit of the Moroccan economic delegation to Egypt to participate in the Moroccan-Egyptian Investment and Trade Forum and to organize bilateral meetings represents a clear message of Morocco’s desire to enhance economic partnership with the Arab Republic of Egypt.
During the opening session of the forum, Hajira stressed that Morocco aims to build a complementary relationship with Egypt in the economic field rather than engage in competition, highlighting that this approach comes under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, with the goal of opening new horizons for cooperation between the two countries.
He pointed out that economic integration between the two nations is the most effective means to face global trade challenges and to build a robust regional economy capable of competing and achieving development, considering that the current circumstances present a genuine opportunity to transform challenges into opportunities for strengthening bilateral cooperation.
The Moroccan economic delegation to Cairo is led by a high-level team that includes major Moroccan companies, aimed at upgrading economic relations between Rabat and Cairo. Hajira revealed that trade exchanges between the two countries reached approximately $1.1 billion in 2024; however, Moroccan exports constitute only 6% of Egypt’s imports, necessitating serious efforts to change this reality.
He mentioned the desire of the leaders of both countries, His Majesty King Mohammed VI and President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, to enhance economic relations in line with the depth of political and historical ties that bind them. He indicated the existence of a significant legal framework consisting of bilateral and multilateral agreements that provides a solid foundation for expanding cooperation prospects.
Hajira noted that the visit of the Egyptian Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Hassan Khatib, to Morocco last February provided an opportunity to adopt several measures to facilitate trade exchanges between the two parties, reflecting a practical direction towards developing the partnership.
For his part, Hassan Khatib expressed the Egyptian government’s commitment to removing obstacles that hinder Moroccan exports from entering the Egyptian market, reaffirming the existence of a shared political will to activate bilateral cooperation in facing global economic challenges.
He stressed the necessity of joint efforts to increase the volume of trade exchanges while maximizing the benefits from the agreements signed between the two countries, underlining the importance of overcoming obstacles faced by both exporters and importers.
The Egyptian-Moroccan Investment and Trade Forum commenced on Sunday in Cairo, part of the Moroccan economic delegation’s visit from May 3 to 5. The forum is held under the slogan “Broad Economic Partnership,” organized by the Secretariat of State for Foreign Trade in coordination with the Moroccan Confederation of Exporters and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises.
The visit aims to enhance the presence of Moroccan products in the Egyptian market, targeting Moroccan exports valued at $500 million by 2026. The forum also presents an opportunity to unlock new avenues for investment and establish strategic partnerships between Moroccan and Egyptian companies across various sectors.
