Morocco boosting U.S.-Africa partnership for shared prosperity
Head of Moroccan Govt. Aziz Akhannouch has voiced his country’s steadfast commitment to contribute to strengthening further the partnership set between the U.S. and Africa for shared prosperity, development and inclusive economic growth.
Speaking at a Forum held Wednesday in Washington within the frame of the US-Africa Leaders Summit (Dec. 13-15), Akhannouch said that King Mohammed VI has travelled in recent years to over thirty African countries, and that the royal African visits were crowned with signing of more than 1,000 cooperation deals covering nearly all sectors.
He called on U.S. investors to avail the huge business opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which is a powerful engine for economic growth.
The Moroccan-American partnership gained momentum thanks to the Free Trade Agreement, sealed in 2004, added Mr. Akhannouch, stressing that the FTA is the first of its kind signed by the U.S. with an African country.
He also stressed the importance of the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a U.S. government foreign aid agency, in supporting economic development in the African continent, affirming that Morocco is a gateway for the development of investment and trade relations between the United States and Africa
The North African Kingdom has launched several landmark projects in renewable energy to speed up its green economy transition and adopted a new investment charter to attract more foreign investors, underlined the Head of Govt.
On the sidelines of the U.S.-Africa summit, Akhannouch conferred with MCC’s CEO Alice Albright on partnership between Morocco and the U.S. and on the MCC’s noteworthy contributions to inclusive development in the Kingdom.
The participants in the forum discussed several topics including trade, investment, health, climate change, peace, security governance and US-African cooperation.
The US-Africa Business Forum focused on advancing two-way trade and investment partnerships that bolster Africa’s role in the global economy, scale innovation and entrepreneurship, and drive advancements in key sectors.
Held under the theme “Partnering for a Prosperous and Resilient Future,” USABF brought together African heads of state and U.S. and African business and government leaders to advance mutually beneficial partnerships that create jobs and drive inclusive and sustainable growth on both sides of the Atlantic.
