Africa has all the ingredients to meet the challenges of energy dependence and promote very cheap and competitive energy, as a factor and major component of economic development, said Saturday in Dakhla, the Director General of the Office National Electricity and Drinking Water Authority (ONEE), Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership (GSEP), Abderrahim El Hafidi.
Speaking during a panel held as part of the second edition of the MD Sahara Forum, organized under the theme “Morocco in Africa, a Royal choice for a global and integrated Continent”, Mr. El Hafidi highlighted the resources huge resources abounding in African countries, particularly in terms of energy and water, noting that the inability of Africa to develop this wealth hinders the development of the continent.
In this regard, he noted that Africa has more than 12% of the world’s oil reserves, more than 8% of natural gas and more than 6% of coal, calling for the transformation of these fossil energy resources into electricity, energy thermal and basic infrastructure, reports MAP.
For his part, the deputy managing director of Bank of Africa, Brahim Benjelloun Touimi, welcomed Morocco’s extremely visionary choices in favor of Africa, which constitutes “our present and our future”, calling for a “reasoned afroptimism” to better exploit the five forms of capital available in Africa (natural, immaterial, environmental, human and social).
In this perspective, he pleaded for training, empowerment, monitoring and strengthening the presence of economic actors on the continent in order to ensure better establishment and optimal management of resources.
For his part, the managing director of the Caisse de depot et de gestion (CDG), Khalid Safir, pointed out that Africa is an emerging continent which places economic development at the top of its priorities, adding that from its diversity and its human and natural resources, the continent has considerable assets to succeed in generating inclusive growth and eradicating poverty.
He also stressed the need to transform this potential into wealth, through an integrated and global policy approach and the efficiency of means, with the aim of accelerating reconstruction in a logic of Southern partnership. -South, to make up for the delays observed and to strengthen intra-regional trade.
For the Director General of Convergence and Evaluation of Public Policies at the Ministry of Investment, Convergence and Evaluation of Public Policies, Brahim Benmoussa, Morocco’s anchoring in Africa has become more rooted with HM King Mohammed VI who gave it shape thanks to an altruistic and determined Royal vision of Africa, noting that this diplomacy carries very high the values of peace, dialogue, coexistence, mutual respect, non-interference in internal affairs and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States.
In this sense, he called on governments and actors on all sides to redouble their efforts to bring the African continent out of dependence, through the consolidation of economic ties and trade.
The second edition of the MD Sahara brings together experts, diplomats and decision-makers from the private and public sectors, from Morocco and other African countries, with a view to sharing their experiences and discussing around multiple themes including classic diplomacy, strengthening of bilateral relations, security, food and energy diplomacy, in addition to co-development and South-South solidarity.