The organization in Morocco of the 14th edition of the United States-Africa Business Summit (July 19-22), the work of which began on Wednesday in Marrakech, constitutes a consecration of the natural role of the Kingdom as a gateway to Africa and a link with its international partners such as Europe, the United States and South America, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad, Nasser Bourita.
In a speech at the opening of this Summit, organized under the High Patronage of HM King Mohammed VI, in partnership with the “Corporate Council on Africa” (CCA), around the theme “building the future together”, Mr. Bourita explained that the holding in Morocco of this Conclave carries multiple meanings and reflects the solid attachment of the Kingdom, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, to its natural belonging to Africa and its concern for support the stability and economic and sustainable development of the Continent.
And the Minister continued that the organization of this Summit in Morocco illustrates the maturity of the Moroccan-American strategic partnership which, thanks to its development at the bilateral level, contributes directly and effectively to security and stability in other geographical areas, particularly in Africa and the Middle East.
The strong presence of more than 1,000 participants at this Summit highlights the important and promising prospects of the partnership between Africa and the United States in the field of trade, investment and business, added Mr. Bourita.
It also underlines the importance of the private sector and development and investment institutions as the main lever of this partnership, he continued.
If the holding of this meeting coincides with a period of hope for the disappearance of the Covid-19 pandemic, it also coincides with a phase where the world economy is living at the rate of deep turbulence, which has affected production chains and investment, as well as trade, and caused inflation and worrying economic pressures, which requires more than ever, the attachment to cooperation as the only means to ensure the security, the fluidity of trade and maintaining investor confidence.
In this difficult context full of challenges and marked by the reconfiguration of the international economy, the role of the African continent, as a reservoir of growth for the world economy and a major ally for its international partners, is highlighted, noted Mr. Bourita, noting that thanks to the wealth of human capital and natural resources of the Continent, and given its future structured and interconnected market, within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ZLECA), its regional economic groupings and its economic growth rate of 6%, Africa has the potential to enable it to deal with crises and strengthen its sovereignty in strategic sectors, such as health, food security, energy and infrastructure, to ensure the achievement of inclusive growth and fair and equitable development.
