Marrakech — The 14th edition of the U.S.-Africa Business Summit started, Wednesday in Marrakech, around the theme “building the future together”.
Placed under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, this Summit which will run until July 22, at the initiative of the “Corporate Council on Africa” (CCA), brings together a large U.S. government delegation, African ministers and decision makers of the largest U.S. multinationals and African business community.
This Summit, which offers the opportunity to establish future-oriented tripartite US-Morocco-Africa business partnerships, is also an occasion to consolidate the strategic positioning of Morocco, the only African country to have concluded a free trade agreement with the United States, as a hub for Africa and an economic partner of reference for the US.
This event will be marked by the organization of high-level dialogues, plenary sessions, panels, roundtables, and side-events around the continent’s priorities in food security, health, agriculture, energy transition, new technologies, infrastructure, and the integration of industrial ecosystems.
Speaking at the opening of the Summit, Alice Albright, president of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), said the Business Summit is an occasion to build new partnerships, explore new opportunities, and collaborate more with African partners, noting that MCC is working to create a “long-term partnership” with them to address current challenges.
This Summit will demonstrate the United States’ enduring commitment to its African partners, she said, noting that it will be based on the principles of mutual respect and shared interests and values, with the aim of strengthening economic relations.
She also highlighted the opportunities for economic growth in Africa, a continent that is the fastest growing in the world, before emphasizing the great interest of participating in this gathering of public and private sector leaders.
For his part, chairman of the Moroccan Employers’ Association (CGEM), Chakib Alj, said that private companies, along with the public sector, have a key role to play in solving Africa’s greatest challenges, particularly those related to energy, food security, education, digital transformation and health, noting that Moroccan companies are ready to work hand in hand with American and African partners to accelerate this dynamic.
The opening ceremony of this Summit was marked by the presence of Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, and president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina.
