Akhannouch highlights Morocco's development under the leadership of King Mohamed VI
Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch highlighted in an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica Morocco's achievements in the field of development under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, making the country a global model in adhering to the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals in various fields with the continuation of development and modernization efforts, making Rabat a reliable and important partner for Rome and Europe.
Akhannouch spoke about Morocco's achievements in the fields of infrastructure, industry, agriculture and tourism, which are areas in which it has created and achieved great progress recognized by several credible international reports.
Following his participation in the Italy-Africa summit, under the title "A bridge for shared growth", held this week in Rome, the head of the Moroccan government pointed out that "we have built infrastructures according to the best international standards, with an air-land-sea connection unprecedented in the region", stressing that "the country has developed a road network that extends for more than 2. 000 kilometers, the first high-speed railway line in Africa, the continent's largest port on the Mediterranean Sea and soon the most important maritime infrastructure in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as 14 international airports, offering a very important African deployment capacity".
He also emphasized that this infrastructure allowed Morocco to develop efficient industries, especially in automobiles and aviation "which today are considered a reference", in addition to "resilient and sovereign" agriculture, as well as a "particularly attractive" tourism sector.
Morocco has made a real change in the automotive industry to compete with countries like China and India and has become the largest automobile producer in Africa, and the third largest producer in the world after China and India. He stressed that the Moroccan industry produces a car every minute and a half and presented in mid-May the first homemade car under the name "Neo".
In the field of the aeronautics industry, the Moroccan government has encouraged suppliers in the aviation sector to invest in recent years, hoping to emulate its success in the automotive industry by creating centers to accelerate supply chains and exchange experiences.
Akhannouch added that Morocco, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, also became "the leading African producer of renewable energy and strengthened its leading position in the field of green transformation," thanks to the renewable energy development strategy launched in 2009.
Indeed, Morocco has achieved a major development in the field of renewable energy to become a global pole in solar energy production by launching the world's largest solar power plant, while preparing to supply Britain with renewable electricity through the longest marine power cable on the planet linking Rabat to the UK.
The Moroccan prime minister said the launch of Royal Air Maroc and Africa C. M. D. C, the first carbon-free flight from the African continent equipped with sustainable aviation fuel, coincided with the COP28 climate conference in Dubai.
Akhannouch also highlighted Morocco's efforts in developing the green hydrogen sector, and the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline initiative, which will contribute to the energy security of West Africa and the European Union, registering Italy's interest in Moroccan initiatives in this field.
The European Union is counting on Morocco for the supply of energy and gas after the energy crisis following the sanctions imposed on Russia after its war in Ukraine, assured the Moroccan politician who emphasized
He stressed the depth and strategy of the Italian-Moroccan relations, especially cooperation in the field of energy, pointing to the choice of the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, of Morocco as one of the first countries to make new investments in the renewable energy sector.
The head of the Moroccan government unveiled the project "a large center of excellence for professional training in the field of renewable energy". He referred to Italy's "Mate" plan, the planned new strategic partnership with African countries to address the root causes of irregular migration, which includes an extensive investment program and partnerships in the energy sector with African countries.
Aziz Akhannouch said the initiative aims to integrate Africa into global value chains, emphasizing the need to "involve the Italian private sector and European and African countries to address this challenge" and added that the current plan "also requires that the resources mobilized are truly aligned with the expected ambitions."
He spoke of the need to support investments between Europe and Africa, saying that "investments between Europe and Africa can contribute positively to the management of migration flows if they are launched with the logic of partnership and joint development", he also referred to the investment model of the "Stelantis" Group Motor Company, which announced in 2022 its desire to double the production capacity of its factory in Kenitra.