Barcelona Meeting Stresses Morocco’s Commitment for Sustainable Emerging Africa

Barcelona - The Ambassador and Director General of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI), Mohamed Methqal, highlighted, on Wednesday in Barcelona, the Kingdom's unwavering commitment to a sustainable emerging Africa.During an address at the second Africa-Spain Business Summit, Methqal emphasized the personal commitment of HM King Mohammed VI "to sustainable human development in Africa," which the Sovereign has made a priority on the Moroccan diplomatic agenda."In this context, the Kingdom, through all its institutions (public and private sectors) and civil society, is committed to contributing to a sustainable emerging Africa," he observed, adding that "this vision for sustainable human development in Africa has also enabled Morocco to regularize, since 2014, the situation of more than 60,000 African migrants."He noted that in line with this royal vision, since its inception in 1986, AMCI has been working to strengthen Morocco's relations with partner countries through education, a ma jor component of all its cooperation programs implemented with African countries.In this regard, Methqal detailed the many aspects of AMCI's work, through cooperation focused on sharing Moroccan experience and expertise with African countries in various sectors such as water, energy, electricity, agriculture, climate change, fishing, health, tourism, and infrastructure.As the leading African investor in West Africa and the second on the continent, Morocco has made education a major component of all its cooperation programs implemented with African countries, noted the DG of AMCI, recalling that nearly 40,000 foreign students from 98 countries, including 49 African countries, have graduated from Moroccan public higher education institutions since 1999."As you can see, the Kingdom of Morocco's commitment to training young people and future young leaders is a priority of our cooperation portfolio and will be further strengthened in the future," continued Methqal, noting that Africa seeks to accelerate its emergence and achieve the goals of its development agenda through a new generation of leaders.Thus, he said, the Royal initiative to enable Sahel countries to access the Atlantic Ocean strengthens cooperation relations between African countries where youth and human development are at the heart of priorities, adding that this Royal initiative will help enhance African emergence for the benefit of African populations.Furthermore, Methqal pointed out that "this initiative will contribute to accelerating regional connectivity and trade flows, and will achieve shared prosperity in this region and in Africa.""By investing in the education and training of young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed, we not only bring dynamism to trade and investment in Africa, but we also build a prosperous and sustainable future for Africa," he said.According to the diplomat, "new development models based on visionary, courageous, and supportive policies, placing youth at the heart of their actions, initiatives, and programs, will allow Africa to accelerate its emergence.""Sustainable development in Africa depends on its visions," he argued, emphasizing the relevance of the theme chosen for the Africa-Spain Business Summit, dedicated to the potential for trade and investment between Spain and the African continent."The theme of this edition, 'Investments and Trade: Towards New Horizons,' invites us to go beyond traditional borders and explore new horizons for economic partnerships," he noted, adding that "even if Africa's achievements seem remarkable and the future prospects are optimistic, many challenges remain."This three-day forum, also attended by the president of the Morocco-Spain Economic Council, Adil Rais, and the Kingdom's Consul General in Barcelona, Charif Cherkaoui, aims to foster win-win partnerships in various areas of common interest by bringing together ministers, officials, investors, and organizations from Africa and Spain, ready to explore and seize new business opportunities.S ource: Agence Marocaine De Presse