France to sustain investments in Morocco, including Sahara

French President Emmanuel Macron stated Tuesday in Rabat that his country will continue its public investments in the Kingdom of Morocco, including in the Sahara.

Speaking to entrepreneurs and economic stakeholders at the conclusion of the «Morocco-France Entrepreneurship Meeting», Macron emphasized that Morocco is the «top client» of the French Development Agency (AFD) in terms of investments.

He added that the agency will keep financing projects in the Kingdom, including those executed by French companies in the Sahara. In this context, he underscored France's commitment to developing a fair and mutually beneficial economic partnership with Morocco, highlighting the various complementarities between the two countries’ economies.

The French president also pointed out the existing industrial partnership across several sectors and urged for greater integration of value chains in light of the «regional restructuring of duties».

Macron expressed regret that some European and French financial groups have been compelled to leave Africa «due to self-imposed regulatory rules and standards imposed by Europeans».

«I believe this is a serious strategic error (...) We, as Europeans, must reassess the rules and restrictions we have placed on our institutions», he remarked during the meeting focused on future strategic sectors.

This meeting was organized by the General Federation of Moroccan Enterprises (FGME) in partnership with the French business movement through the Franco-Moroccan Businessmen's Club.