By Prince Okafor

President, General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises, Miriem Bensalah Chaqroun, has said that African is the least integrated economical continent in the world.

Chaqroun disclosed this in an interview with journalists on the sideline of Nigeria-Morocco business meeting organised by Nigeria Economic Submit Group (NESG) in Lagos.

According to her, “Our bilateral trading investment is too low. Our continent is the least integrated economically continent.

“We are in Nigeria to make sure that the South –South partnership is not just a wish but a reality that we will seize the opportunities between Morocco and Nigeria private sector.”

She maintained that, the continent has great potential, adding that, “We also have this fabulous energy that is our youths waiting for job creation. So, this partnership has the will to look for local job creation.

“Any business has a potential of creating added value and also creating a new jobs from it. We do have already in agro businesses and fishery and some our Moroccans entrepreneur that have invested in Nigeria, but we are looking for renewable energy, tourism, agriculture, and also ICT.

“Nigeria is known for its ideas, that is a good way to partner and we are waiting for Nigeria to come and invest in Morocco, in the sectors, such as, aeronautic, agric business and ICT.

“The whole industry of tourism is good potential for our continent. Each of our country has good potential for tourism, and Nigeria being by the coast in the center of diversified eco systems and Morocco also. I think we can bench mark in these areas such as tourism.

“We have also common historical and cultural background in multi cultural countries with many ethnics, and also we have different religion like Nigeria.”
On his part,

Chief Executive Officer, CEO, NESG, Laoye Jaiyeola, maintained that the essence of the group is to ensure a better environment for doing business in the country.

He said that the kind of business we are doing amongst ourselves, which again defeats the need for countries of Africa to do businesses amongst themselves.

“They are lot of businesses we can do among ourselves, you can navigate from Morocco to Lagos, also for instance if we look at the renewable energy, they are doing very well they build their own solar plant, and they are targeting making renewable energy about 45 percent of the total energy needed.

“We are still grappling with our energy supply and if you look at the government policy, they want to make renewable energy to be about 30 percent of our total energy needs in a year 2030.

“Rather than go outside the continent, if we can leverage on what exists in the continent, it could go a long way in helping our people.”