King Mohammed VI Concludes Four-Country West and Central Africa Tour

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - June 15, 2015) - Morocco's King Mohammed VI concluded a three-week, four-nation tour of West and Central Africa this past Friday that resulted in the signing of 35 bilateral agreements with Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Côte d'Ivoire, and Gabon.

In Senegal, King Mohammed VI and Senegalese President Macky Sall signed 13 bilateral agreements in the areas of economic development, fishing, agriculture and livestock, tourism, and vocational training; broke ground on a small-scale fishing unloading site in Dakar; and inaugurated the electrification of two rural villages -- Massar Teugue and Yamane Seck -- as part of two electrification concessions awarded to Morocco's national water and electricity authority (ONEE) by the Senegalese State following two international tenders.

The US has already cited Morocco as a potential partner in electrifying Africa. On the sidelines of the third US-Morocco Strategic Dialogue held in Washington last month, Morocco signed a memorandum of understanding with the Millennium Challenge Corporation that specifically noted, "To the extent the areas of technical assistance include the energy sector in sub-Saharan Africa, this engagement could help to further Power Africa's goals of significantly increasing energy generation and access objectives throughout sub-Saharan Africa…."

In Guinea-Bissau, King Mohammed VI and Guinea-Bissau President Jose Mario Vaz announced an agricultural partnership between the two countries and presided over the signing of 16 cooperation agreements in the areas of security and local governance, investment protection, marine fisheries and aquaculture, infrastructure technical assistance, mining, renewable energy development, vocational training, and others. To kickstart the partnership, the King announced a donation granted by the Mohammed VI Foundation for Sustainable Development of veterinary and other livestock products.

In Cote d'Ivoire, King Mohammed VI and Ivoirian President Alassane Ouattara presided over the signing of six agreements including the sale of State-owned shares in Société Ivoirienne de Banque (SIB) to Morocco's Attijariwafa Bank, and a memorandum of understanding between Casablanca Finance City Authority and the Centre for Investment Promotion in Côte d'Ivoire.

Finally, in Gabon, King Mohammed VI donated 14 tons of medicines and medical-technical equipment to the Gabonese health authorities; and launched the construction of a transports and logistics vocational training center.

The trip comes less than a year after a similar tour, during which the King visited Mali, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, and Gabon and presided over the signing of more than 80 bilateral agreements on trade, agriculture, water, energy, and job training, among other areas. The King had also visited Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, and Gabon in March 2013.

"Morocco has become a recognized leader in promoting South-South cooperation," said former US Ambassador to Morocco Edward M. Gabriel, "And this latest tour is the continuation of King Mohammed's years-long efforts to promote peace, stability and prosperity in Africa. Given the US's strong relationship with Morocco, and that Morocco is the only country in Africa with which the US has a Free Trade Agreement, the US should continue to look to Morocco as a conduit for effective economic and cultural diplomacy on the continent."

The Moroccan American Center for Policy (MACP) is a non-profit organization whose principal mission is to inform opinion makers, government officials, and interested publics in the United States about political and social developments in Morocco and the role being played by the Kingdom of Morocco in broader strategic developments in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East.

This material is distributed by the Moroccan American Center for Policy on behalf of the Government of Morocco. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC.

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