The King Mohammed VI, accompanied by Prince Moulay Ismail, and President of the Republic of Senegal, Macky Sall, chaired, on Monday at the presidential palace in Dakar, the launch ceremony of a partnership to support small-scale agriculture and rural areas in Senegal.
At the beginning of the ceremony, minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Aziz Akhannouch, presented before the two leaders an outline of this partnership program, developed in accordance with the High Royal instructions to benefit the Senegalese State from Morocco’s expertise in developing small-scale agriculture, notably as part of Morocco Green Plan.
This partnership is part of the existing cooperation between Morocco and Senegal in the agricultural field, mainly in training, technology transfer and financial support, which will contribute to the success of this new ambitious partnership, Akhannouch said.
The partnership for the support of small-scale agriculture and rural areas in Senegal is based on the joint approach of four key actors, namely the Mohammed VI Foundation for Sustainable Development, Morocco’s Groupe Crédit Agricole, Groupe Banque Centrale Populaire, and the ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, added Akhannouch.
The Mohammed VI Foundation for Sustainable Development will provide expertise in terms of social development, and a financial contribution of 1 million Euros for the creation of a guarantee fund, said the minister.
Morocco’s Groupe Crédit Agricole will provide expertise in financial engineering, Akhannouch said, noting that the Groupe Bank Centrale Populaire, already established in Senegal, will provide an additional financial contribution of 1.5 million Euros.
The ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will provide experience notably in project management, he added.
Later on, the King and the Senegal President chaired the signing ceremony of two agreements on the implementation of the Moroccan-Senegalese agricultural partnership program.
The first agreement provides for the establishment of a funding mechanism to support small-scale agriculture and rural areas, while the second concerns the implementation of a development plan for octopus fishing between the Moroccan and the Senegalese governments.
The agreements reflect The King Mohammed VI’s commitment to consolidating South-South cooperation, as well as the common will of the two countries’ Heads of State to further promote relations between Senegal and Morocco.
At the end of the ceremony, Senegalese minister of Tourism and Air Transport, Maimouna Ndoye Seck, read out a statement by the Foreign ministries of Morocco and Senegal on accelerating discussions for a partnership between Royal Air Maroc and Air Senegal S.A, benefiting both companies.
The ceremony was attended by the official delegation accompanying the Sovereign, members of the Senegalese government and several civil and military high officials.
