French Development Agency CEO on Field Mission in Moroccan Sahara

The announcement was made by Rioux during a press briefing following his meeting, on Friday in Rabat, with Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita.

The AFD CEO said that his visit forms part of the implementation of the Joint Declaration signed in October 2024 between His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, during the latter’s State visit to the Kingdom.

“You might recall that on that occasion, President Emmanuel Macron expressed France’s new position on the Southern Provinces,” he recalled, adding that his current mission is part of the “rapid operationalization” of this strategic guideline.

Referring to the extension of AFD’s mandate to the Southern Provinces, Rioux said that he will be visiting “Laayoune tomorrow and Dakhla on Sunday and Monday,” marking an important step in the implementation of commitments made.“

He welcomed the fact that “Southern Provinces represent a strategic link with Sub-Saharan Africa in the Atlantic coast,” emphasizing that it constitutes “a very important action framework” for the AFD group.

Rioux underlined the steadiness and strategic scope of the partnership between Morocco and France, stating that the Kingdom remains the AFD Group’s leading partner. “Morocco represents more than €3 billion of ongoing projects, more than MAD 30 billion, 70 projects underway,” he said, adding that no fewer than 80 Group employees are mobilized on the ground in Morocco, which is “clearly very important.”

The visit by AFD’s chief is part of the “Reinforced Exceptional Partnership” signed between His Majesty the King and President Emmanuel Macron, and is a tangible expression of the shared desire to further strengthen the rich bilateral cooperation between the two countries, and to support the momentum of inclusive and sustainable development in all regions of the Kingdom.