Nigeria and Morocco are looking to unlock between $7 billion and $10 billion in largely untapped bilateral trade as the second edition of the Nigeria–Morocco Business Week opens on February 9 across Lagos, Kano, and Abuja.
The four-day forum comes as both countries face growing pressure to translate the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) from policy commitments into functioning regional value chains. While Nigeria and Morocco maintain strong diplomatic ties, commercial exchange between both economies remains modest relative to their size and complementarities.
Nigeria is pushing to expand non-oil exports, strengthen agricultural supply chains, and reduce dependence on imported inputs, particularly fertiliser and agro-processing equipment. Morocco, a leading producer of phosphates and fertilisers, is increasingly looking to sub-Saharan Africa for market expansion as growth in its traditional European markets slows.
Trade potential between the two countries is estimated at $7 billion to $10 billion, but actual flows have been constrained by logistics inefficiencies, weak business linkages, and limited industrial integration between West and North Africa.
Organised under the auspices of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Rabat, in collaboration with Spectre TransTrade Global, CONSCIMA, chambers of commerce, and sector ministries from both countries, the 2026 forum builds on the inaugural edition held in Casablanca in 2024, which drew more than 130 Nigerian and Moroccan firms.
According to the organisers, this year’s focus has shifted from just dialogue to execution. “The priority is B2B matchmaking, technology transfer, and value addition,” said Abdulhamid Mahmoud Y, secretary of the organising committee. “We are working to directly connect Nigerian buyers and large-scale importers with Moroccan producers and processors.”
The forum is structured as a three-city programme aligned with Nigeria’s commercial and production hubs. Events begin in Lagos with a high-level conference, exhibitions, and business-to-business meetings involving corporates, financiers, and trade intermediaries. The programme then moves to Kano, where discussions will focus on agriculture, agro-industry, and livestock, supported by industrial site visits. The meetings conclude in Abuja with a closed-door engagement between government officials and private sector leaders, followed by an awards ceremony.
Priority sectors include agriculture, fertilisers, renewable energy, manufacturing, digital trade, and infrastructure. Morocco’s fertiliser capacity is seen as critical to Nigeria’s efforts to improve agricultural productivity and address input shortages, while Nigeria’s market size and energy resources offer scale for Moroccan firms seeking long-term investment opportunities.
Beyond commodity trade, organisers say the emphasis is on building integrated industrial value chains under AfCFTA rules. Partnerships with development finance institutions, chambers of commerce, and government agencies have been secured to support post-forum project implementation.
Participation is expected to exceed the 2024 turnout, as companies from both countries move toward formal agreements in agriculture, agro-industry, livestock, and renewable energy sectors central to diversification efforts in both economies.