Morocco is committed to mobilizing the experience and expertise of the Moroccan diaspora in the country’s development.
Morocco’s ambassador and permanent representative to the African Union and the UNECA, Mohamed Arrouchi has stressed the crucial role of the African diasporas in the process of socio-economic and cultural development of the African continent.
Arrouchi was speaking at the 41st session of the AU Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC), which was held on Wednesday by videoconference.
The Moroccan diplomat welcomed the “Lome Framework,” a Togolese initiative to federate the African Diaspora to support projects, events, and strategies that work towards the development of Africa.
Arrouchi called on member states to strengthen official channels of remittances from African diasporas and to mobilize their expertise and experience in projects benefiting their origin countries.
Arrouchi also submitted to the PRC a proposal to organize an annual congress of African diasporas. He said such a congress would provide the African diaspora with a suitable opportunity and an adequate framework to consolidate African development-related networking.
For Arrouchi, w, events that help strengthen exchanges and connectivity among Africans constitute a crucial way of ensuring their commitment to effectively contribute to the development of the African continent.
Remittances from African diasporas have been an essential source of income for the continent, reaching nearly $50 billion in 2018, added Arrouchi.
Moroccan Diaspora’s Contributions
The Moroccan diaspora throughout the world remains a vital contributor to Morocco’s economic, social, and cultural development.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, total remittances from Moroccans living abroad reached MAD 61.91 billion ($7.05 billion) at the end of November 2020, a notable increase compared to MAD 59.57 billion ($6.82 billion) at the end of November 2019.
Morocco estimates that the Moroccan diaspora currently stands at over five million Moroccans. COVID-19 imposed social distancing and limited travel between countries but did not prevent the Moroccan diaspora from contributing to Morocco’s economy.
On Tuesday, January 26, Morocco’s Deputy Minister in charge of Moroccans living abroad launched “Bladifqalbi,” a digital platform to strengthen communication with Moroccans around the world.
The platform aims to consolidate links between the Moroccan diaspora, especially the younger generations, and their country of origin. The idea is to provide the diaspora with a virtual environment that can help in introducing them to, or reinforcing their attachment to Moroccan culture, identity, and history.
