Morocco flirts with Ethiopia amid stalled Nile dam talks
Morocco and Ethiopia ramping up cooperation in various fields as negotiations remain stalled over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and Egypt refuses to back Morocco on the Western Sahara issue.
CAIRO — Speaking at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York Sept. 25, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita announced that Morocco and Ethiopia had created a Coalition for Sustainable Energy Access. He said the cooperative project is part of Morocco’s efforts to support sustainable development, access to energy and resource development in Africa.
On Sept. 19, the Moroccan state-owned OCP Group, one of the world's largest phosphate mining and leading global fertilizer firms, signed an agreement with the Ethiopian government to establish a fertilizer complex at a cost of $6 billion in the eastern Ethiopian city of Dire Dawa.
The Ethiopian News Agency reported that the project will help meet Ethiopia’s growing needs by producing up to 3.8 million tons of fertilizers per year.
The Ethiopian-Moroccan cooperation comes amid the stalled negotiations between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
