Join on WhatsApp 
Join on Telegram Rabat – The UK embassy in Rabat announced a delegation visit of experts from the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA).
In a statement, the embassy said the experts from IPA, the UK’s center of expertise for infrastructure, will start a visit to Morocco today.
The delegation, which will stay in Morocco until February 23, will be led by deputy head of international at the IPA Javier Encinas, added the statement.
“The primary objective of this visit is to facilitate the exchange of expertise in infrastructure and major project development,” the UK embassy said.
Today’s and Tuesday’s agenda will include meetings with senior officials from Moroccan ministries and agencies.
These meetings will help the IPA “gain deeper” insights into the country’s priorities, as well as challenges, the statement stressed, noting that the meetings will also be aiming to serve as a platform of opportunities for the development of affordable, sustainable, and socially inclusive infrastructure.
While the statement made no mention of whether discussions would encompass potential talks on World Cup 2030 infrastructure projects, the meeting comes as Rabat is gearing up to introduce several giant projects and reforms to the country’s infrastructure.
Last year, FIFA announced that Morocco will co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal. This means that the country has less than seven years to strengthen its infrastructure projects and be ready for the global tournament.
It remains to be seen whether IPA and Morocco would discuss any potential infrastructure cooperation in this vein.
Morocco is also hosting the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) next year.
As part of the visit, the IPA will also be hosting a three-day workshop from Wednesday to Friday.
The Moroccan Ministry of Finance will co-host the workshop, which will see the attendance of senior officials from several departments of the Moroccan government.
“The workshop will include sharing the UK’s approach to infrastructure development and the lessons learned over more than 20 years of IPA experience, on infrastructure South Africa and the Heathrow airport expansion,” the embassy said.
It added that discussions at the workshop will address “a long-term strategy for infrastructure development,” as well as UK’s best practice for attracting capital and expertise from the private and public sectors.
The UK and Morocco share good bilateral ties, with the two countries having in recent, post-Brexit years showcased their shared determination to further boost relations at all levels – especially trade and political dialogue.
The strong bilateral ties have led several British MPs to urge their government to cement the relationship by recognizing Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
Earlier this month, British news outlet Express reported senior conservative politicians as urging the Foreign CommonWealth and Development Office (FCDO) to change the “UK policy and recognize Morocco’s sovereignty” over the Western Sahara region.
