São Paulo – Morocco’s minister of Transport, Aziz Rabbah, visited Brazil this week with the goal of promoting cooperation between the countries in the fields of infrastructure, transportation and logistics. According to information from the Moroccan news agency Maghreb Arab Presse (MAP), the minister visited the plant of Embraer, in São José dos Campos, 91 km from São Paulo. Royal Air Maroc recently bought four jet planes manufactured by the Brazilian company.
According to MAP, the Moroccans were welcomed by Embraer’s executives. Morocco has an industrial complex that manufactures components for the aerospace industry and the delegation showed interest in attracting operations of the company to their country, just like the Canadian competitor Bombardier, which own a plant there.
In São Paulo, the minister gathered with representatives of the engineering company Itec and of the Brazilian Association of the Infrastructure and Primary Industry (ABDIB). The Brazilian know-how in railways construction was one of the topics covered.
In Brasília, Rabbah said that the future of Morocco lies in the diversification of its partners. “Morocco has an interest in searching for new partners and consolidating its historical and strategic partnerships. That’s why the Kingdom is currently searching for partnerships in Asia, but also in Latin America”, said the minister, according to MAP.
In relation to Brazil, he emphasized that his country has a special interest in technical cooperation, public-private partnerships (PPPs) and exchange of experiences. Rabbah also pointed out that the bilateral trade needs “to go further”.
According to data from Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC), Brazilian exports to Morocco fetched US$ 568.3 million in 2014, a drop of 17.5% over 2013. Sugar, maize, soybean and iron and steel semi-finished were some of the products shipped.
For its turn, Brazil imported the amount of US$ 1.25 billion from Morocco, a decline of 13% in the same comparison. It purchased mainly fertilizers and other chemicals products, naphtha and sardines.
In Brazil’s capital, the delegation was welcomed by the Brazilian minister of Transports, Antônio Carlos Rodrigues, by the executive secretary of Civil Aviation, Guilherme Ramalho, and by the president of Planning and Logistics Company (EPL), Josias Sampaio Cavalcante. Morocco has an interest in the Brazilian know-how in concessions of airports, ports and highways.
Rabbah visited also the port of Santos, in São Paulo state’s coastline, met with the mayor of the city, Paulo Alexandre Barbosa, and with the president of the soccer club Santos Futebol Clube, Modesto Roma Jr.
He returns to Morocco this Friday (31th).
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
