Morocco’s contribution to an African model of common development highlighted in Ottawa

On the occasion of World Africa Day, Morocco’s Ambassador to Canada, Souriya Otmani, highlighted, Thursday in Ottawa, the Kingdom’s contribution to building a common continental development model .

Strengthened by the particularity of its historical and religious relationship with Africa, which is part of an unprecedented scheme around the issues of co-development, reinforced South-South solidarity and a strong social dimension, Morocco has always endeavored to contribute to the construction of a continental model of « common development », through a set of projects and programs carried out in a large number of African countries, she explained during an event marking the celebration of the day of Africa organized at the University of Ottawa.

She noted that these projects aim in particular to promote infrastructure, university and professional training, but also and above all the strengthening of food and energy sovereignty, health security, the development of internal resources and the strengthening of industrial systems.

During this event organized at the initiative of the Group of African Ambassadors accredited to Canada, Ms. Otmani stressed that Morocco believes in African potential and has full confidence in the continent, noting that the Kingdom is today the 1st African investor in Africa. of the West and the 2nd African investor on the continent. « It is one of the countries whose companies are most present across Africa, in more than thirty countries, » she said.

Noting the major challenges facing the agricultural sector in Africa, linked in particular to environmental conditions, the recurrent phenomenon of drought and the supply of drinking water and irrigation water, the Ambassador stressed the need to develop and multiply the multilateral partnerships which will make it possible to obtain positive results in terms of increasing agricultural yields.

In this context, she expressed the hope that the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (Zlecaf) will contribute to putting in place all the mechanisms capable of enabling this vital sector of the African economy to reveal its full potential and enable Africa to ensure its food sovereignty.

The diplomat reiterated, in this regard, Morocco’s conviction that Zlecaf represents a « unique opportunity » to bring out African champions in the field of food security but also in all other fields, noting that this initiative will position the continent as an essential pole of global growth and competitiveness.

It will also be an opportunity to set in motion the living forces of the continent, accelerate entrepreneurship and create jobs for the young people of the continent, said Ms. Otmani, adding that the main actors and first beneficiaries of Zlecaf will be Africans.

Operationalizing the Zlecaf, the largest free trade zone in the world, would open up a market of around 1.3 billion consumers with a GDP of $3.4 trillion and increase intra trade. -African, by eliminating Africa-wide tariff and non-tariff barriers, she said, adding that this will help create more opportunities and jobs for African citizens, develop regional value chains and to strengthen the infrastructure and foundations of intra-continental trade.

In this regard, the Ambassador felt that Canada « must play a leading role » in its cooperation in agriculture and food security with Africa, noting that the North American country and its G7 partners must help change of perception of the members of their business community on the continent and to convince them to come and invest in all these vital areas for Africa and humanity.

“We must help small farmers, ensure the training of young people and women and the financing of agricultural research”, she insisted.

Referring to facets of South-South Morocco-Africa cooperation in the agricultural field, Ms. Otmani referred to the actions and interventions in Africa of the OCP Group, world champion in the field of phosphates and derived products.

Morocco, through the creation of OCP Africa, a subsidiary of OCP, has been committed to a concrete policy of support for agricultural development, food security and support for the green revolution in Africa for several years, and this through a battery of actions aimed at supporting the continent’s agri-food production, she continued.

The Moroccan diplomat also specified that the OCP group exports several hundred thousand tons of fertilizer to some fifteen countries in Africa and also provides its expertise and technical know-how to African farmers, while investing in the research and innovation in partnership with Moroccan and African universities and research institutes to develop fertilizers adapted to the agri-ecological conditions of African lands and at very affordable costs.

For his part, the president of the Africa Study Group (ASG), under the International Council of Canada (CIC), Cheickh Tidyane Bangoura, recalled that Morocco pleaded before the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the African Union (COREP) to the effective operationalization of the Zlecaf as being a crucial step towards the realization of the regional integration of the continent.

In terms of energy, he noted, Morocco and Nigeria are working on the construction of a gas pipeline between the two countries which crosses a group of countries in the west of the continent. According to him, this is an ambitious initiative to enhance the capacities of African resources, reshape the regional energy map, promote the logistical and competitive capacities of African gas and strengthen its position on the European market.

“These initiatives are an expression of the faith of Moroccans and their Kings in the principles of South-South cooperation, solidarity and cooperation between the countries of the African continent,” he said during this jointly organized event. with the University of Ottawa, emphasizing that this is a reference doctrine for Moroccan diplomacy since independence.

Also participating in this event were the rector of the University of Ottawa, representatives of the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, students and professors from various universities, members of the diplomatic corps of Ottawa and members of the African diaspora and of the Canadian business community.