Morocco to Play Key Role at US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ (MACP) -- Beginning today through August 6, Morocco will join leaders from some 50 African countries at the US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC. With longstanding ties across the continent, a stable, growing economy, and a record of peaceful reform and progress, Morocco will play a key contributing role in advancing the historic meeting's primary themes:  investing in Africa's future, peace and regional stability, and governance for the next generation.

In 2013, Morocco was the top destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) in North Africa and the second most attractive country for FDI across the continent, and it remains the only country in Africa with a Free Trade Agreement with the US. It has trade and cooperation agreements with 16 countries in Africa, including Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.

Last year, to help curb religious extremism in the region, Morocco launched a program to train imams from Mali, and the initiative now extends to Libya, Tunisia, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, the Maldives, and Nigeria. Morocco has also been a leader in promoting renewable energy, with Africa's largest solar and wind farms under construction. As the world's number one producer of phosphates used in fertilizer, it is a recognized leader in agricultural and food security on the continent.

In a speech to the nation last Wednesday, Morocco's King Mohammed VI said that "Africa should learn to have faith in Africa," and called for "a distinct, efficient South-South partnership" across a broad range of economic, social and security issues. 

Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkiran will lead the Moroccan delegation, which also includes:

• Salaheddine Mezouar, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation;
• Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Minister of Industry, Trade, Investment, and the Digital Economy;
• Mbarka Bouaida, Minister-Delegate of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation;
• Mohamed-Mamoune Bouhdoud, Minister Delegate of Industry, Trade, Investment, and the Digital Economy;
• Dr. Ahmed Abbadi, Secretary-General of the Rabita Muhammadia of 'Ulamas (Muhammadan League of Scholars);
• Amina Benkhadra, Director General of the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines;
• Othman Benjelloun, CEO of BMCE Bank;
• Miriem Bensalah Chaqroun, Executive Director of Oulmes Water Company, President of Moroccan Confederation of Businesses (CGEM);
• Karim Hajji, CEO of the Casablanca Stock Exchange, 3^rd largest in Africa, and member of the World Federation of Exchanges;
• Mohamed El Kettani, chairman and CEO of Attijariwafa Bank, leading bank group in Morocco;
• Mostafa Terrab, Chairman and CEO of OCP Group, executive board member of La Banque Centrale Populaire SA.

* For more on Morocco in Africa, go to: "Morocco's Leadership in Africa: A Partner for Progress and Peace"

* For more details on the US-Africa Summit, go to: http://www.whitehouse.gov/us-africa-leaders-summit

For more on Morocco and the region, visit http://www.moroccoonthemove.com. Also follow us on Twitter  @MorocOnTheMove. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MoroccoOnTheMove.

The Moroccan American Center for Policy (MACP) is a non-profit organization whose principal mission is to inform opinion makers, government officials, and interested publics in the United States about political and social developments in Morocco and the role being played by the Kingdom of Morocco in broader strategic developments in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. For more, please visit www.moroccoonthemove.com

This material is distributed by the Moroccan American Center for Policy on behalf of the Government of Morocco. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC.

SOURCE Moroccan American Center for Policy