Speaking at the Investments Summit, a day devoted to strategies and opportunities for investment and development in Africa and emerging countries, held on the sidelines of the 14th edition of the MEDays Forum (November 2-5), Mezzour said that in the face of the triple crises of climate, the Covid-19 pandemic and stagflation caused by the war in Ukraine, Morocco, under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, has been able to stand out opportunistically.
The Kingdom “has never been as attractive as today,” said the Minister, citing, as an example, the National Plan for Industrial Emergence, particularly the Moroccan automotive sector which, despite the decline in demand from the European market, was able to increase its exports by 50%.
In this sense, he added, Africa should seize the “fabulous opportunities” presented by the energy and digital transitions to make significant leaps in terms of development”.
For his part, program director for West Africa at the Corporate Council on Africa, Ekenem Isichei, said that the multiple crises experienced by the world in recent years have prompted African countries to reflect on the costs of strategies deployed by governments and, therefore, realize the importance of strengthening public-private partnerships.
Similarly, he added, the health crisis has revealed the crucial role of African institutions such as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa) and the African Union, among other regional organizations, calling for strengthening their mechanism to withstand future shocks.
For his part, Director General of the Belgian Development Agency (Enabel), Jean Van Wetter, said that the global context forces cooperation agencies to completely change their way of working.
“At Enabel, three years ago, we reviewed our strategy, and our priority was no longer to help countries grow, but more to respond together to global challenges,” he underlined.
