Speaking during a high-level sequence dedicated to Morocco, as part of the 4th edition of the Europe-Africa forum, which is held at the Palais du Pharo de la Cité Marseille, Mr. Alj indicated that since the visit of the French president, Emmanuel Macron in Morocco, at the invitation of King Mohammed VI, “the economic dynamics between our two countries has clearly intensified”.
The Moroccan and French private sectors responded “enthusiastically” to the dynamic started by this visit which consolidated an already old relationship, deep and based on trust, he noted.
“We rely on a solid basis: geographic, linguistic and administrative proximity, strong economic interdependence,” said Alj, recalling that France is one of the first foreign employers in Morocco, its second client and third supplier, especially since the kingdom is also the first partner of France in Africa, and its first African investor.
Nearly 1,300 French companies are active in Morocco, he recalled, noting that since October 2024, several structuring projects have emerged through the signing of a large number of partnership agreements.
According to him, “the international context further strengthens the interest of a tightened partnership between our two countries: restructuring of global value channels, search for reliable and close partners, need for energy and food sovereignty and complementarity of talents and resources”.
Mr. Alj also stressed that the 2030 World Cup is a historic opportunity for Morocco, the region, and for our partners. “It acts as an investment, transformation and modernization catalyst,” he said.
Speaking, for his part, the director general of Casablanca Finance City (CFC), Saïd Ibrahimi, said that at the Casablanca financial center level, “we welcome international groups that choose Morocco as Hub to project themselves to Africa”. “There is a strategic link between Europe and the African continent, which we are helping to strengthen,” he said.
He recalled that CFC, launched in 2010 under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, has established itself as an efficient platform for companies wishing to operate in Africa.
-“Today, our ecosystem has nearly 30% of Moroccan companies active in finance in particular,” he said, noting that these intervene in more than 50 African countries, benefiting from adapted administrative and operational support “.
Ibrahimi insisted in this context on the need for fair partnerships.
“Africa remains a continent with considerable resources, but needs equity and structuring investments. It is essential to enhance local skills, forming talent and providing them with the necessary technology. It is on this condition that projects create a real shared value, “he said.
For its part, the CEO of the Tangier Med group, Mehdi Tazi Riffi, who intervened during a panel under the theme “Can the Mediterranean port be a model?” As part of the forum, said that wearing Tangier Med is not limited to a logistical function, but asserts itself as a real integrated industrial zone.
“We are not only a port platform, but also an industrial platform that welcomes more than a hundred companies, including large European and Asian groups,” he said.
Mr. Tazi Riffi also highlighted the growing importance of the energy transition in the port development strategy, citing for example a very ambitious program, currently being deployed over three years by Tangier Med. This program aims in particular to generalize the OPS (Operation Power Supply), a system allowing ships to connect directly to electricity, as well as to develop the production of green electricity.
Addressing the future prospects, he estimated that two major axes will structure port development in the Mediterranean: energy transition and digital transition. According to him, these two conductive sons constitute common denominators which will allow the Mediterranean ports to maintain, even strengthen, their competitiveness worldwide.
Organized by the French economic publication “La Tribune” and the Aix Marseille Provence metropolitan area under the theme “Innovons ensemble”, the Marseille Europe-Africa Forum, which aims to be a major meeting highlighting the challenges, opportunities and synergies between African and European nations, brings together business leaders, investors and decision-makers of the two continents.
