Laayoune: Some 50 French business leaders and economic decision-makers met, on Tuesday in Laayoune, with local officials and elected representatives to explore investment and partnership opportunities in the Laayoune-Sakia El-Hamra region.
According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, this economic roadshow, initiated by the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Morocco (CFCIM), and attended notably by France’s Ambassador to Rabat, Christophe Lecourtier, allowed the French delegation to learn about the economic opportunities in the region, in order to form operational ties with Moroccan stakeholders and project leaders and explore collaboration prospects and concrete investment projects.
This economic event, attended by the President of the Regional Council, Sidi Hamdi Ould Errachid, and the President of the Communal Council of Laayoune, Moulay Hamdi Ould Errachid, was also an opportunity to highlight the region’s assets to French economic operators, as well as the local potential for investment, partnershi
ps, and trade.
Led by CFCIM President, Claudia Gaudiau-Francisco, the French delegation learned about the business climate and prospects in the region’s productive sectors, such as sustainable development, tourism, fisheries, and renewables.
She also followed a presentation on the regional and communal development plans, particularly the projects planned as part of the new development model for the Kingdom’s southern provinces.
On this occasion, a presentation was made by the Director-General of the Regional Investment Center (CRI), Mohamed Jifer, highlighting the sustained efforts made by the CRI to support investors, through a simplified process for creating and sustaining businesses.
Gaudiau-Francisco told the press that the French delegation’s visit to the Laayoune-Sakia El-Hamra region aims to enable French companies to explore investment opportunities in various sectors, notably renewables and the blue economy.
Regional and communal development plans are ‘extremely ambitious,’ she said, inviting Fr
ench companies to be part of this promising momentum.
For his part, Jifer said that this visit was part of the operationalization of the agreements signed during the recent State visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Morocco, noting that both parties were committed to creating wealth and job opportunities in the region, for the benefit of the local population.
During the visit, the delegation visited the African Sustainable Agriculture Research Institute (ASARI) in Foum El Oued, part of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University.
They were briefed on the Institute’s missions, which focus on four main programs in line with the region’s needs and challenges: agriculture in arid environments and marginal zones, biorefining and bioenergy, adding value to the animal value chain, and sustainable water and energy management.
The French ambassador and his accompanying delegation also visited several projects, where they witnessed first-hand the sustained efforts to promote the comprehensive, integrated develop
ment of the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region.
With its 3,000 associates and more than 20,000 members, the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Morocco opened delegations in Laayoune in May 2017, Dakhla in March 2019, and, more recently, Guelmim in February this year.