Rabat Salé Kenitra hosted an African Economic Forum for Regions

A memorandum of understanding to create a network of African regions for investment and development was signed on Friday, October 6th, within the framework of the African Economic Forum for the Regions organized by the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra Regional Council under the slogan "The Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region is at the heart of the dynamics of South-South cooperation for the emergence of Africa".

The memorandum, under the patronage of King Mohamed VI, was signed by the president of the Rabat-Salé-Kenitra Regional Council, Rachid Abdi, and the presidents of 12 leading African regions of Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gabon, Guinea Conakry, Kenya, Mali, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, as well as the Union of the Comoros.

The African Regions Network for Investment and Development, in accordance with the signed memorandum, constitutes a framework for partnership and exchange that will enhance cooperation and should stimulate investment and facilitate the exchange of economic experiences. The aim is to strengthen South-South partnership mechanisms and intensify social, economic and cultural ties between African regions and their populations.

Rachid Abdi said that the agreement is primarily about promoting investment and showing "that there are great opportunities for African investors, who often look to other continents, to invest in Africa”. In particular, he pointed out that Morocco can be "a promising investment destination". He concluded: "Specifically, the Rabat-Salé-Kenitra region has a huge investment potential and we are fully committed to overcoming all the difficulties faced by African investors.

The president of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises, Chakib Laalaj, welcomed the creation of this network of regions and stressed that it would "open a fruitful and useful debate on the horizon of reorganizing and restructuring the method of working together". The president of the employers' association placed this event in the framework of a series of world events that the Kingdom of Morocco will host in the near future, such as the African Cup of Nations in 2025 and the Football World Cup in 2030. All this, he said, would give "a strong and new impetus to relations of cooperation and partnership with brotherly African countries".