5th Edition of the Moroccan–French Parliamentary Forum: Rachid Talbi Alami highlights Royal initiatives as a lever for investment and a driver of Africa’s growth

Speaking on Thursday at the opening of the 5th edition of the Moroccan–French Parliamentary Forum, Talbi Alami stated that the Southern Provinces today constitute a key area of connection between Africa and Europe, thanks to the major multidimensional development projects being implemented there.

According to him, Morocco and France, together with their respective partners, are in a position to actively contribute to mobilising the financing and investments required for the major strategic projects initiated by the Kingdom in favour of a fair, integrated and prosperous Africa, capable of asserting itself as an attractive hub on the international stage.

The parliamentary official also stressed the responsibility incumbent upon the legislative institutions of both countries in supporting this new bilateral dynamic. He underlined that the Moroccan and French parliaments must play a driving role, not only at the legislative level, but also by putting forward concrete proposals and actively supporting the implementation of ongoing partnerships.

Talbi Alami further highlighted the need to involve public opinion more closely, as well as political, economic and social actors, in this cooperation, in order to strengthen its institutional character and ensure democratic oversight by representative bodies.

He then recalled the importance of the Royal initiatives aimed at facilitating Africa’s economic emergence, describing them as major opportunities for building shared prosperity. In this regard, he referred to the Atlantic African States Initiative, which concerns an area bringing together 23 countries representing nearly half of Africa’s population and more than half of the continent’s gross domestic product, stretching from Tangier to the Cape of Good Hope.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives also underscored the considerable economic potential of this area, which is rich in natural resources and offers opportunities in key sectors for the future. This initiative, he recalled, forms part of a broader vision that includes opening access to the Atlantic Ocean for Sahel countries without a maritime frontage, as well as the Nigeria–Morocco gas pipeline project crossing several African countries.

Talbi Alami also stressed the depth of relations between Morocco and France, which go far beyond the economic sphere alone and are underpinned by particularly strong human, cultural and academic ties, illustrated by the vitality of the Moroccan community in France and the French community in Morocco, as well as by numerous scientific and cultural exchanges.

He also praised the contribution of Francophone intellectual and literary productions linked to Morocco, which contribute to the Kingdom’s cultural influence and to a better understanding of its history, diversity and strategic challenges.

In an international context marked by geopolitical and economic uncertainties, Talbi Alami considered that Morocco and France, as countries bordering both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, have an important role to play in regional stability and in promoting the values of democracy, freedom and justice in international relations.

Finally, he called for strengthened cooperation in future-oriented sectors, notably renewable energies, energy transition, the green economy, artificial intelligence, water management and desalination, sustainable transport and the infrastructure required for international trade.

According to him, the convergence of efforts between the two countries will help promote investment, technology transfer and the sharing of expertise, while strengthening joint action towards the African continent, considered a major strategic horizon for both nations.

Translated from Abderrazzak Boussaid’s French article – le7tv