State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has said Bangladesh is keen to deepen its engagement with African nations and elevate its partnership with Morocco to a new horizon of cooperation, shared prosperity and strategic opportunity.

She made the remarks during her meeting with Nasser Bourita, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates in Rabat on May 19.

The two leaders highlighted the importance of sustained high-level exchanges in advancing political relations.

State Minister Shama Obaed is currently on an official visit to Morocco to attend the Second Ministerial Conference on Peacekeeping in a Francophone Environment, scheduled to be held in Rabat today (May 20), said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The State Minister fondly recalled the historic visit of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman to Morocco in 1980 and expressed appreciation for Morocco’s gracious gesture of honouring the nation by naming an avenue in Rabat after him.

Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to consolidating Bangladesh-Morocco ties across diverse sectors, including trade and investment, textiles, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, sports, culture, agriculture, education, women empowerment, shipbuilding and people-to-people connectivity, alongside stronger multilateral collaboration.

They also agreed to convene the next round of Foreign Office Consultations at the earliest in Dhaka to assess ongoing cooperation and explore new areas of mutual interest.

The State Minister extended an invitation to the Moroccan Foreign Minister to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time.

Exchange of Business Designation

She also held a bilateral meeting with Ryad Mezzour, Morocco’s Minister of Industry and Trade.

Highlighting Bangladesh’s improved investment landscape, the State Minister proposed the exchange of business delegations to promote greater commercial interaction.

In response, the Moroccan Industry Minister expressed his intention to send a business delegation to Bangladesh by the end of 2026.

Commending the existing partnership in the agricultural sector, the State Minister called for strengthening G2G cooperation to ensure a more reliable and efficient supply chain of phosphate exports, thereby contributing to Bangladesh’s agricultural development and food security.

She also reiterated Bangladesh’s readiness to work with Morocco in promoting eco-friendly jute and jute goods in the Moroccan market.

Both leaders pledged deeper cooperation in innovation, industrial training, ICT and artificial intelligence.

They discussed the prospect of a Free Trade Agreement between the two countries to further strengthen bilateral trade relations.

On the same day, the State Minister met Younes Sekkouri, Morocco’s Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills at his office.

During the meeting, the State Minister briefed him on the new government’s social protection initiatives, including the “Family Card” and “Farmers’ Card” programmes as well as development efforts such as canal re-excavation projects.

The two leaders also explored opportunities to expand collaboration in employment generation, vocational training, skills development, women and youth empowerment, entrepreneurship and the growth of small and medium enterprises.

They stressed the value of closer cooperation through knowledge-sharing, technical exchanges and institutional partnerships.

Sadia Faizunnesa, Bangladesh Ambassador to Morocco and Abdur Rouf Mondol, Director General (Africa) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs accompanied the State Minister during the meetings.