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Casablanca – The monarch’s visit to Madagascar has been a promising one, both politically and economically, making headway towards more South-South cooperation.
On November 19, King Mohammed VI continued his tour across Africa and headed to Madagascar, accompanied by Moulay Ismail, where he set out to meet President Hery Rajaonarimamapianina and preside over the signing of a slew of important bilateral agreements.
On Monday, November 21, the two African leaders signed 22 bilateral agreements and conventions at the Presidential Palace of Antananarivo.
The 22 bilateral agreements covered various different economic sectors in an effort to reinforce partnership between the two countries.
In an interview with the Malagasy press, King Mohammed VI said that “Madagascar has undeniable assets to succeed. Morocco is ready to support its ministerial departments, public companies and private sector.”
“I would like to particularly encourage the Moroccan private sector to undertake projects in Madagascar on the basis of cooperation on an equal footing with its Malagasy counterparts,” king Mohammed VI added.
One major agreement concerned Morocco’s investment in restoring the Canal des Panagalanes, a 700-km canal running down the east coast of Madagascar.
The canal is of vital important to the local population and Morocco’s investment in its restoration is a crucial one.
Said Zarrou, chairman of the board of Marshica Med Ltd, underlined that Morocco, “thanks to the leadership of King Mohammed VI, has developed an expertise in developing large-scale environment-friendly territorial projects over the past several years.”
The monarch also told the Malagasy press that he “would like to set up a vocational training center in the field of tourism and construction and build a mother-child hospital [in Antsirabe], which will also provide training for medical staff.”
Minister of Agriculture Aziz Akhannouch has also confirmed that Morocco will be funding new agriculture training schools in Madagascar that will help locals take full advantage of their resources.
Other agreements signed on November 21 in Madagascar included the banking sector. Attijariwafa Bank and the Banque Centrale Popular signed agreements with BNI Madagascar, the Malagasy Ministry of Finance and Budget and with Sipromad, a prestigious Malagasy conglomerate.
The purpose of these banking investment agreements is to create microfinance institutions, promote international trade and encourage project financing.
The vitality of these agreements lies in Morocco’s efforts to promote South-South cooperation in Africa and improve ties with the nation’s African neighbors.
With Morocco’s commitment to reintegrating the African Union, the king’s dedication to addressing other African countries on climate change at the COP22 climate change conference, and the monarch’s recent visit to various African countries, the benefits of South-South cooperation are well underway.
