Agadir – The Organization for Trade and Industry of Morocco in Italy (OCIMI) and CNA Toscana Centro, an Italian business association representing artisans and SMEs in Prato and Pistoia, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen economic ties between the two countries and create new business opportunities for Italian and Moroccan companies.
The agreement was signed in Prato on Friday, aiming to promote trade, facilitate bilateral investments, and establish strategic partnerships, with a particular focus on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Italian provinces of Prato and Pistoia as they expand into the Moroccan market.
Emiliano Melani, president of CNA Toscana Centro, and Marouan El Mansoub, president of OCIMI, signed the memorandum. Simone Calzolai, a lawyer specializing in international strategic partnerships, also attended the signing at CNA Toscana Centro’s headquarters in Prato.
The agreement establishes a framework for cooperation through business and institutional missions, participation in trade fairs, and business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) meetings to connect companies with potential commercial and industrial partners.
It also aims to support joint ventures and long-term partnerships between Italian and Moroccan businesses.
Through its network and expertise, OCIMI will provide CNA Toscana Centro member companies with business profiling services, assistance in identifying customers, suppliers, and partners, and support for entering the Moroccan market.
New business opportunities
Melani described the agreement as an important step toward expanding international opportunities for businesses in the region.
The signing of this memorandum represents a significant achievement for our system, he said.
It is an innovative agreement that provides our companies with concrete tools to undertake internationalization processes and develop new business opportunities in the dynamic and strategic Moroccan market, a privileged gateway to the African continent.
Melani also noted that the initiative builds on a June event titled “Doing Business in Morocco,” which CNA Toscana Centro hosted at its headquarters and which attracted entrepreneurs and professionals interested in the Moroccan market.
“At that time, we noted a strong interest in the opportunities offered by this market, and today we are able to transform that interest into structured and lasting action,” he said.
“Member companies will be able to count on qualified partners, and this is an important step that confirms CNA Toscana Centro’s commitment to accompanying companies toward new development and growth opportunities.”
The agreement also reflects Morocco’s growing importance as a logistics, commercial, and production hub connecting Europe and Africa, according to CNA Toscana Centro’s statement.
El Mansoub welcomed the partnership, describing it as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation between the two countries’ business communities.
“It is a great pleasure for me to participate in this important event with CNA Toscana Centro,” he said, adding that the agreement offers a concrete opportunity to deepen dialogue between Italian and Moroccan companies.
“As President of the Moroccan Trade and Industry Organization in Italy, I believe it is essential to build increasingly stronger bridges between the businesses of our two countries, fostering mutual understanding, partnerships, and new investment and development opportunities.”
El Mansoub said Italy and Morocco could build on their longstanding economic and human ties to establish more structured cooperation, particularly to benefit SMEs.
“The collaboration with CNA Toscana Centro is moving precisely in this direction: creating opportunities for meeting, networking skills and professionalism, and facilitating businesses’ access to new markets,” he said.
Targeting market access and strategic partnerships
The memorandum also provides for dedicated business missions, structured support programs for companies seeking to enter Morocco, and direct connections with local institutional and economic stakeholders.
The two organizations will also seek to encourage joint participation in international trade fairs and promotional activities to strengthen commercial relations between the two countries.
The lawyer Calzolai said the agreement would give Tuscan companies a more direct route into the Moroccan market and help them address the challenges of international expansion.
“The signing of this agreement is not a formality, but the beginning of a concrete journey,” he said.
“It means providing Tuscan companies with a direct and qualified channel to a market where trade with Italy has already exceeded €5 billion, but still has ample room for growth.”
Calzolai also pointed to opportunities in less traditional sectors, including sports-related economic activities, where legal and corporate expertise can help establish partnerships between Italian and Moroccan operators.
For SMEs without dedicated internationalization teams, he said, the agreement could help overcome barriers related to market information, partner identification, and access to investment opportunities.
“Morocco, just 14 km from Europe and with a logistics hub like Tangier Med, is now a strategic platform,” Calzolai said.
“Our job, as legal professionals, is to support companies through every stage, from due diligence to international contracts, with a solid legal foundation from the very first step.”
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