Morocco/USA: Conquering the African market together
Morocco and the United States wish to further strengthen their partnership. In addition to bilateral cooperation, Rabat and Washington aim to build on the geopolitical changes underway. This could result in the launch of a new approach to triangular and multilateral cooperation.
In the aftermath of the Negev Summit, devoted in particular to political issues in the Middle East, the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken in Rabat, which ended last Wednesday, has identified new business opportunities, in Morocco, but also in other countries of the continent. «The talks focused on the Moroccan-American partnership in Africa, in the face of potential challenges and the huge opportunities offered on the economic and trade front, climate, infrastructure, health or security», said Nasser Bourita, after his meeting with the head of U.S. diplomacy. He believes that «the African continent is an ideal environment for Moroccan-American cooperation». It is in this context that both countries «are now considering the best ways to strengthen cooperation, not only bilaterally, but also to encompass other regions of the world, including the African continent».
• Trade
During his meeting with the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, the U.S. Secretary of State also discussed «the prospects for developing trade and encouraging investment initiatives». The issues discussed include «the international situation and the challenges facing the global economic recovery, in order to emerge from the repercussions of the Coronavirus pandemic, particularly in the wake of soaring commodity prices in the world and continued disruption in some supply chains».
• Compact II
At the bilateral level, Akhannouch stressed that Morocco «continues to implement its various commitments related to the Millennium Challenge Program». This month of March marks the beginning of the last year of the five-year MCC Compact, which has mobilized a budget of 460 million USD. Education, youth employability, land productivity, and land rights for rural women are the main pillars of Compact II.
• African Lion
In the security field, in addition to the partnership in the fight against terrorism, joint military exercises will continue. «Moroccan and U.S. military officials have already begun planning the African Lion exercise for this year». This is the largest military exercise in Africa. The 2021 exercise, which took place last June, «was the largest since the training event began in 2004», say the sources.
M.A.M.
