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Arab Finance: Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Mohamed Farid Saleh held talks with Morocco’s Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour on ways to increase trade flows between the two countries and strengthen economic cooperation, as per a statement.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the official visit of Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch to Egypt, where he attended the first session of the Egyptian-Moroccan coordination and follow-up committee.
During the talks, the two ministers discussed measures to advance bilateral economic and trade relations toward a more balanced and sustainable framework, aimed at positively impacting trade volumes between the two countries.
Farid stressed the importance of joint efforts to develop trade policies governing the exchange of goods between Egypt and Morocco to improve the bilateral trade balance and make better use of the economic potential available to both sides.
He also underscored the need for a detailed analysis of export and import data between the two countries as a key tool for identifying trade gaps and designing effective policies to improve market access, particularly in sectors where Egypt and Morocco hold comparative advantages.
The two sides discussed plans and executive policies targeting priority sectors to enhance the competitiveness of Egyptian and Moroccan products and support sustainable growth in bilateral trade.
They also reviewed the possibility of holding regular meetings between the relevant trade regulatory authorities in both countries to assess available commercial opportunities and identify specific goods that could benefit from easier access to each other’s markets.
The ministers further explored a fast-track approach to increase the flexibility of trade rules between the two countries in order to simplify procedures and reduce restrictions that may hinder trade flows, while maintaining a balance between trade facilitation and the protection of local markets.
Customs clearance procedures were also discussed, with both sides focusing on removing obstacles that limit the flow of goods, reducing clearance times, and lowering costs to improve supply chain efficiency.
For his part, Mezzour highlighted the importance of elevating bilateral relations to a distinguished level of investment and trade partnership that serves the interests of both nations.
He added that closer coordination in the coming period would be necessary to establish clear implementation mechanisms and achieve a tangible increase in trade exchange between Egypt and Morocco.
During his visit to Cairo on April 6th, Akhannouch, along with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, witnessed the signing of a series of cooperation agreements.
These agreements covered several domains, including the industrial sector, sports and youth, investment, and customs matters.
The session concluded with Madbouly and Akhannouch signing the official minutes of the committee’s first meeting, marking a step in advancing economic and institutional cooperation between the two countries.
Between January and October 2025, bilateral trade between Egypt and Morocco reached about $897 million. It amounted to around $1.1 billion in 2024.
