Morocco’s Ambassador to Kenya, El Mokhtar Ghambou, highlighted South-South Cooperation, a visionary pan-African approach initiated by HM King Mohammed VI, whose main objective is to strengthen the autonomy and self-sufficiency of the continent by promoting social, economic and cultural relations between all African countries.
“After rejoining the African Union in January 2017, Africa has had the chance to rediscover Morocco as a leading country in key areas,” Ghambou said in an interview published by the Kenyan newspaper “The Standard”.
He said, in this context, that Morocco’s commitment to serve Africa, guided by a win-win spirit, began long before its return to the African Union (AU), adding that Morocco has been able, over the past seven years, to sign more than 1,500 bilateral agreements with its African partners, making our country the first African investor in West Africa and the second on the continent.
“Morocco’s return to the AU has been a great step forward that has enabled us to be an indispensable actor in the decision-making process given our experience and our strong financial contribution as a member of the Union,” the Moroccan diplomat stressed.
Regarding economic cooperation between Kenya and Morocco, he explained that the two countries, which are leaders in their respective regions, have much to gain by pooling their efforts in key sectors. “We both have a liberal, open and diverse culture. We are two tourist and agricultural countries with different products. This offers a perfect opportunity for complementary exchanges,” he noted, adding that Kenya could well benefit from cooperation with Morocco on the educational front, given that Moroccan universities welcome 11,000 African students every year, 10,000 of whom benefit from government scholarships, including Kenyan students.
“Kenyan students who have continued their studies in Morocco have created an association in 2018 to encourage more Kenyan students to study in our schools and universities,” he said.
The Moroccan diplomat also highlighted the multiple assets available to Morocco, notably its road, port and airport infrastructures.
“We have two of the largest solar power plants in the world. We have the fastest train in Africa, one of the largest ports in the western Mediterranean, another Atlantic port is being built in Dakhla and up to 1,800 roads and motorways,” Ghambou said.
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