Morocco: international scientific research collaboration for arid lands and desert development

As every year the Dakhla city, in southern Morocco, hosted on May 11th and 12th, 2023, the fourth edition of the International Congress on Desert Economy, annually organized by the National School of Business and Management (ENCG) of Dakhla – Morocco.  

According to Prof. Elouali Aailal, the founder and president of this congress, this fourth edition of the International Congress on Desert Economy was exceptional in terms of the distinguished participation of eminent scientific and professional personalities and the members of the scientific committee, their prestigious universities, affiliations, and research institutes on deserts and arid lands, their nationalities from all the continents, and in the importance, the specificity, the actuality, and the relevance of the themes and the subjects that will be discussed.

The International Congress on Desert Economy –  ENCG, Dakhla, Morocco (ICDED) - is the pioneer and the first worldwide scientific research meeting on arid lands, the Sahara, and desert economic development (R&D), whose approach is to think globally (internationally) and act locally. 

The ultimate purpose of The International Congress on Desert Economy - Dakhla, is to be an interdisciplinary scientific research platform on the desert, arid lands, and the Sahara (hot drylands, hyperarid or semi-arid regions, oasis and remote rural areas)  economy, management, and development (rural development), in order to contribute effectively to the good governance and in the sustainable development of arid lands worldwide, by attracting and promoting investment opportunities in the Sahara and  deserts, and by stimulating meetings between all stakeholders on a global scale: Academics, Professionals, Policy-Makers, Civil society and NGOs..., with a view to fostering dialog, partnership, and cooperation among desert countries worldwide: Africa and the Gulf States (the MENA and the Sahel...), the United States of America, Australia, China, India, South America..., with the aim of valuing and promoting the desert knowledge and its related studies' and conferences' findings and recommendations, and creating a conducive environment to the exchange of experiences, expertise, trainings, educational practices and innovation, around themes related to the desert economy and to the arid lands management, such as Tourism, travel industry and tourism economics; Livestock economics, management, and production; Agriculture, aquaculture, and agricultural economics (rural economics); The Economics of water, drought and water scarcity management; Renewable energy, energy economics, and energy management; Mining and natural resource management; Phosphate economics and the phosphate fertilizer industry; Transportation and logistics; Fisheries, maritime, sea, and ocean economy; Economics of space (space economy) and space industry; Technology and innovation; Water sports and entertainment, sports economy and sports management; Cultural and creative industries, tangible and intangible heritage; Biodiversity, wetlands, environment, and nature conservation and management...Thus, each year, an edition will be organized. 

This scientific international event comes in the context of Morocco's determined commitment and responsibility towards its African depth. This engagement is dictated by historical, geographical, and cultural links and mainly concretized in Morocco's Southern Provinces, which constitute the link between Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa. Although these provinces are located in the desert, they have made considerable progress in record time, thanks to implementing some specific development strategies adapted to Saharan regions, including the New Development Model for Morocco's Southern Provinces. 

Thanks to multilateral African and international cooperation, deserts and arid lands across the globe, especially in Africa (The Sahara and the Sahel), with their vast and rich natural maritime seaboards and coastlines, are an open workshop and a scene of substantial and Trans-Saharan megaprojects and infrastructures: The Desertec Project (Clean and renewable energy), the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative (Greening the Sahara and combating the desertification), the Morocco - Nigeria Gas Pipeline, the Trans Africa Pipeline Project (Water), The " Dakhla Atlantic Port" Project,  the "Power Africa " Initiative, the "Desert to Power" Initiative...