Officials will brief the mission on opportunities in Morocco’s education and business sectors.
The London-based development organization Developing Markets Associates sent a delegation to Morocco on Monday to investigate business and educational opportunities firsthand. The visit is a sign that even as contractual teachers protest across the country, Morocco’s education sector continues to attract international interest.
The delegation, the Morocco Trade and Investment Mission, consists of representatives primarily from education-focused organizations in the United Kingdom. It arrived in Casablanca April 8 and will stay until April 10, after two days of meetings with key government ministries.
While the delegation will focus primarily on education, the mission will also investigate other promising areas of Morocco’s private sector, including renewable energy and finance.
The itinerary includes meetings with Minister of Education Said Amzazi, the Education Council, and briefings on business from Moroccan officials and big-name corporations like the OCP Group. On Monday, delegates met with a World Bank country representative for Morocco and British Ambassador Thomas Reilly.
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Morocco and the UK have enjoyed particularly friendly economic relations in recent months. In January, Morocco and Nigeria selected British engineering company Penspen to plan the first phase of the Nigeria-Morocco Pipeline Project. Penspen is just one of many British companies working in Morocco’s energy sector.
Overall, more than 200 Moroccan companies export to the UK, and about 100 British companies have set down roots in Morocco, partly as a result of financial incentives from the British government.
Morocco imported $993 million in British exports in 2017, according to United Nations data, making up a small but still significant share of British trade.
The British under-secretary of state for foreign affairs, Simon McDonald, highlighted this trade during his visit to Morocco in January, calling the partnership a “burgeoning economic relationship.”
The delegation offers both Morocco and the UK another opportunity to further build their partnership.
