Washington – Morocco’s ambassador to the United States, Youssef Amrani, highlighted on Monday the Kingdom’s commitment to promoting Africa’s development and economic integration and strengthening free trade between the U.S. and the continent.
Speaking at a roundtable held in Washington D.C. and hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the diplomat stressed that Africa’s economic integration is a priority for Morocco.
Although Morocco is not a member of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, “we have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States, which serves as the cornerstone of our economic relations,” Amrani pointed out.
“Morocco firmly believes in the transformative power of ‘Free Trade’ as a catalyst for the prosperity of nations and the creation of socioeconomic benefits”, he said, noting that the U.S.-Morocco FTA has played a pivotal role in expanding business opportunities, fostering trade, and generating thousands of jobs in both Morocco and the United States.
Since the entry into force of the FTA in January 2006, US-Morocco trade has increased significantly, placing Morocco as the fourth largest trading partner of the United States in Africa.
Morocco has also experienced a substantial increase of US investments, as evidenced by the several US companies operating in the Kingdom.
The diplomat also stressed the synergy between the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and AGOA.
“Today with the implementation of the AfCFTA, our continent will offer to US companies a larger market of over 1 billion people with a GDP of approximately US$ 2.6 trillion,” the ambassador said during this meeting held in the presence of several diplomats and high-profile experts.
In this spirit, Morocco is always working to preserve and strengthen its traditional partnerships, as well as constantly engage with like-minded initiatives that aim to promote greater regional integration, Amrani said.
Morocco stands ready, within the framework of South-South Cooperation, to engage in c
ollaborative efforts, share its experience, and provide technical assistance to African SMEs in order to help strengthen their export capabilities and increase trade with the United States, he underlined.
To illustrate this commitment, he said, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) last October.
This strategic partnership aims to develop a $1 billion Morocco-Africa Trade and Investment Promotion program to promote intra and extra-African trade through the implementation of trade information and advisory services, among other pivotal components, the ambassador added.
“As part of our ongoing endeavors for a prosperous Africa, a new mechanism of cooperation has recently emerged through the bold international initiative launched just last month by HM King Mohammed VI to enhance Atlantic Ocean access for African countries,” he pointed out.
Source:Agency Morocaine De Presse
RAMALLAH: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said that Israeli colonists committed 444 attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since 7 October 2023.
OCHA said in its report that as 22 January 2024, it has “recorded 444 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (45 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (344 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (55 incidents). This reflects a daily average of four incidents.”
One-third of the settler attacks against Palestinians after 7 October 2023 have involved firearms, including shootings and threats of shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents after 7 October, Israeli forces were either accompanying or reported to be supporting the attackers.
In 2023, 1,229 incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (with or without Israeli forces), resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage or both. Som
e 913 of these incidents resulted in damage, 163 resulted in casualties and 153 resulted in both. This is the highest number of settler attacks against Palestinians in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006.
Source: Palestine News and Information Agency