Rabat – France could appoint Christophe Lecourtier as the new director general for the French Development Agency (AFD).
The Elysee announced the news on Tuesday, stating that Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu proposed Lecourtier as a potential replacement for Remy Rioux, who has been at the helm of AFD since 2016.
Rioux is set to leave his position as the AFD president on May 3.
Lecourtier’s candidacy is pending approval from the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life.
The proposal has been submitted to the presidents of the National Assembly and the Senate.
Lecourtier has been serving as France’s ambassador to Morocco since 2022, maintaining frequent contact with Moroccan officials throughout his tenure.
He has notably made visits to Morocco’s southern provinces, particularly following Paris’ newfound position in support of Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
AFD, which has also considerably solidified ties with Morocco in recent months, plays a central role in deepening bilateral ties between Paris and Rabat.
The agency has been noticeably active in the North African country, considered France’s and AFD’s largest economic partner by volume.
“It is our largest partner by volume with exposure reaching €3.2 billion in December 2024,” AFD said, recalling its activities also in Morocco’s southern provinces to help locals while contributing to the sound implementation of Morocco’s New Development model.
Lecourtier is familiar with the importance of bilateral ties between France and Morocco.
In a recent interview with Morocco World News (MWN), he stressed that the good and improving trade cooperation between Rabat and Paris reflects the DNA of what he described as a historically strong bilateral partnership.
The ambassador emphasized that his country’s goal is to further support Morocco in implementing its model of integrating value chains within a framework of shared sovereignty.
“Our ambition is clear,” Lecourtier said, stressing the importance of making French and Moroccan small and medium enterprises pillars of the deepening economic cooperation between the two countries.
“These companies, which I like to call the ‘reserve army’ of our partnership, are essential drivers of innovation, employment, and shared growth.”
