Morocco, Congo Vow To Boost Bilateral Ties – OpEd

Congo and Morocco “enjoy very fruitful bilateral relations that cover several fields, including diplomacy, economy, education, health” and so on. The two countries have joint commissions which meet regularly. Today, King Mohammed VI and President of Congo Denis Sassou N’Guesso made it clear that they are committed to strengthen the partnership between Morocco and Congo and boost further their ties. During tête-à-tête talks the two leaders comprehensively reviewed the entire spectrum of multifaceted ties between the two countries

Today the two leaders presided over the signing ceremony of several bilateral cooperation agreements in various fields

These agreements, which are in line with the Royal Orientation to strengthen South-South partnership, give new impetus to the mutually beneficial cooperation between Rabat and Brazzaville and reinforce the strategic vision of the Kingdom of Morocco towards brotherly and friendly African countries.

The first agreement, on the reciprocal promotion and protection of investments, is meant to strengthen economic cooperation by creating favorable conditions for investment. It was signed by Mohamed Boussaid, minister of Economy and Finance, and Jean-Claude Gakosso, minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Congolese Abroad.

The second agreement is a convention for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. It is part of the strengthening of economic relations between the two countries and aims to establish the legal bases for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion. It was signed by Mohamed Bousaid and Jean-Claude Gakosso.

The third agreement is related to the construction of a fishing unloading site in the Republic of Congo. It was signed by Aziz Akhannouch, minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Waters and Forests and Jean-Claude Gakosso.

The fourth agreement concerns cooperation in the field of fisheries and marine aquaculture. Signed by Aziz Akhannouch and Jean-Claude Gakosso, the convention is meant to lay down the principles and arrangements for implementing cooperation in the fields of fisheries, aquaculture and related activities, notably maritime training, fisheries research, aquaculture, fisheries management and the promotion of small-scale fishing as well as the fight against illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing.

The fifth document is a framework agreement for cooperation in the areas of agriculture and livestock. It was signed by Aziz Akhannouch and Jean-Claude Gakosso.

The sixth agreement is a protocol in the field of primary, secondary and literacy education. Under this protocol, the contracting parties undertake to define and negotiate a specific program of cooperation in the areas of education and literacy. It was signed by Saïd Amzazi, minister of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Jean-Claude Gakosso.

The seventh document, a framework agreement for cooperation in the field of logistics, aims to establish a mutually beneficial approach for cooperation in the development of the logistics sector in both countries. It was signed by Abdelkader Amara, minister of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water, and Jean-Claude Gakosso.

The eighth agreement is a memorandum of understanding in the field of health training. Under this convention, the Moroccan Health ministry will support its Congolese counterpart through providing training to Congolese health professionals. It was signed by Anas Doukkali, minister of Health, and Jean-Claude Gakosso.

The ninth convention, a framework agreement for cooperation in the field of energy, aims to develop cooperation between the two countries in the areas of electricity (exchange of experience, technical assistance for the setting up of electricity projects in rural areas, organization of training courses, encouraging private investors to carry out electricity production projects using renewable energy sources) and renewable energy and energy efficiency (exchange of information and know-how, organization of training courses, technical assistance for the setting up of renewable energy projects, and exchange of experience in quality control and institutional development of the renewable energy sector). It was signed by Aziz Rebbah, minister of Energy, Mining and Sustainable Development, and Jean-Claude Gakosso.

The tenth agreement, which concerns cooperation in the field of tourism, aims to promote cooperation between the central tourism bodies of the two countries, their national tourism and transport establishments, as well as between their tourism agencies and professional associations. It was signed by Mohamed Sajid, minister of Tourism, Air Transport, Handicrafts and Social Economy, and Jean-Claude Gakosso.

The eleventh agreement establishes cooperation between MASEN (Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy) and the ministry of Energy and Water of the Republic of Congo, for the development of renewable energy in the Republic of Congo. It was signed by Mustapha Bakkoury, president of MASEN, and Jean-Claude Gakosso.

The twelfth document is a memorandum of understanding between the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mining (ONHYM) and the Geological and Mining Research Centre (CRGM) of the Republic of Congo on scientific and technical cooperation. The memorandum is meant to define the terms and conditions of a scientific and technical partnership between ONHYM and CRGM, with a view to strengthening their exchanges of experience and technical capacities for intervention in the fields of training and exchanges of expertise, in addition to ONHYM’s possible participation in mining projects in the Republic of Congo. It was signed by Amina Benkhadra, director general of ONHYM, and Hilaire Elenga, director general of CRGM.

The thirteenth convention is a framework cooperation agreement between the Office of Vocational Training and Labor Promotion (OFPPT), the Moroccan International Cooperation Agency and the ministry of Technical and Vocational Education, Training and Employment of the Republic of Congo. This framework agreement mainly provides for setting up a diagnostic mission of the vocational training system of the Republic of Congo, training Congolese internships and administrative staff and establishing vocational training centers that meet the needs of priority sectors in the Republic of Congo in terms of skilled workforce.

It was signed by Mohamed Methqal, ambassador, director general of the Moroccan International Cooperation Agency, Loubna Tricha, acting director general of the OFPPT and René Fulgence Gustave Adicolle Goum, director general of Technical Education.

The fourteenth convention is a partnership agreement between the Sheikh Zaïd Hospital – International University Hospital and the University Hospital Centre of Brazzaville (CHUB). This agreement concerns in particular the professional development of CHUB hospital staff and the contribution of Sheikh Zaïd Hospital to improving the medical and surgical care of patients at the Brazzaville University Hospital. It was signed by Amine El Hassani, director general of the Sheikh Zaïd Hospital, and Ulrich Judicaïl Biez, director general of the Hospitals and Care Organization.

Undoubtedly, Morocco and Congo have the potential for much more cooperation and today’s signing ceremony will provide measures for the two countries to expand cooperation across several sectors.