French President Emmanuel Macron stated on Tuesday in Rabat that public investments from France would continue in the Kingdom of Morocco, including in the Sahara.
Speaking before business leaders and economic operators at the closing of the “Morocco-France Entrepreneurial Meeting,” President Macron noted that the Kingdom is “the main client” of the French Development Agency (AFD) in terms of investments, assuring that the AFD would continue to fund projects in the Kingdom, including those undertaken by French companies in the Sahara.
He emphasized that France aims to develop a fair, win-win economic partnership with Morocco, considering the multiple complementarities between the two economies.
The French President highlighted the existing industrial partnership across various sectors and called for greater integration of value chains in response to a context of “re-regionalization of tariffs.”
Additionally, Macron expressed regret that European and French financial groups are forced to leave Africa “due to regulatory rules and standards that Europeans have set for themselves.” “I believe this is a terrible strategic mistake. (…) We Europeans need to reflect on the rules and restrictions we have imposed on our institutions,” the French Head of State stated during this meeting focused on future strategic sectors.
Co-organized by Morocco’s General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) and the Movement of French Enterprises (MEDEF), through the France-Morocco Business Leaders Club, this meeting holds particular importance in the context of the French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to the Kingdom, at the invitation of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.