The field of sustainable infrastructure presents itself as a privileged area of cooperation between Morocco and France, indicated Mohamed Benchaâboun, Director General of the Mohammed VI Fund for Investment, Monday November 4 in Paris.
Mr. Benchaâboun, who spoke at a conference as part of the inaugural day of “Paris Infraweek”, one of the main European meetings dedicated to infrastructure financing, indicated that sustainable infrastructure “meets the expectations of our societies, in particular, in terms of mobility, securing water resources, energy transition and technological innovation.”
“Today, Morocco is asserting itself as a land of opportunities, thanks to a constantly improving business climate. For more than two decades, ambitious reforms have made it possible to modernize our infrastructure, simplify administrative processes and open new sectors to investors, the automobile industry, aeronautics and renewable energies in particular,” he said. he observed during this conference on the theme “Morocco-France-Infrastructures: towards new models of partnerships”. And to support: “Our political stability and our open economy through several strategic free trade agreements, make us a strategic crossroads between Europe, Africa and the Middle East”.
This meeting, he said, comes at an important moment, marked by a renewal of Franco-Moroccan relations. “The signing, last Monday, of the Declaration on the + Exceptional Strengthened Partnership + between His Majesty King Mohammed VI and President Emmanuel Macron, inaugurates the opening of a new book and a bold new phase of cooperation », affirmed Mr. Benchaâboun.
And to recall that around forty agreements were signed on this occasion, stressing that these “testify to our common desire to strengthen economic, cultural and strategic exchanges between our two nations”.
Mr. Benchaâboun further indicated that the Kingdom has built its development around a mixed investment model, where the State plays a pivotal role, both as a regulator and as an investor, specifying that in 2023, public investments represented 21% of GDP.
“In order to meet the major challenges facing the country, it is imperative to change the paradigm and reserve a central and much more important place for the private sector,” insisted the CEO of the Mohammed VI Fund for Investment, indicating that this strategy is supported by the new investment charter and through the operationalization of the Fund.
“This Sovereign Fund aims to raise the capacities of the national economy and to support and finance major strategic projects within the framework of public-private partnerships,” he said, recalling that it has put in place several projects to support the development of the Moroccan economy.
Regarding infrastructure, “the ambition of the Fund is to encourage private investment in sectors which, until now, were largely financed and supported by the State Budget, by increasing Public-Private Partnerships (PPP)”, according to Mr. Benchaâboun.
With this in mind, the Protocol signed last Monday before His Majesty King Mohammed VI and President Macron, entitled “The Morocco-France Investment Accelerator”, constitutes “a significant step forward”, he noted, recalling that This Protocol associates the Mohammed VI Fund with French financial institutions: STOA, Bpifrance, the French Development Agency, Proparco and Expertise France.
This “unprecedented” partnership is the first of this scale between Morocco and French public investment players, he said. And to conclude that at the dawn of this new era of partnership and collaboration, “Morocco reaffirms its commitment to inclusive and sustainable development”, adding that “the success of investment projects and the development of infrastructure depends on our collective ability to maintain this momentum, attract capital and direct these resources towards priority sectors to ensure a better future for all.”
For his part, the Director General of the Moroccan Agency for Investment and Export Development (AMDIE), Ali Seddiki, stressed that the Kingdom is establishing itself as a leading global hub for sustainable investment. Morocco, he said, has been able to build “quality” low-carbon infrastructure and industrial platforms, thus strengthening its position as a major player, both regionally and continentally. international.
Organized by the French Ministry of Economy and Finance and Paris Europlace – an organization representing the financial center of the French capital, “Paris Infraweek” brings together nearly 2,500 participants each year, from all ecosystems in the sector. Its objective is to decipher the latest trends in infrastructure development and financing, while promoting the creation of partnerships and cooperation, both on an industrial and financial level.
This edition, which is being held from November 4 to 8 on the theme “infrastructure at the heart of global decarbonization”, focuses on the central role of the latter in the ecological and digital transition of our economies, as well as in their contribution to a green reindustrialization.
