The Director General of the French Development Agency, Rémi Rioux, announced during a press conference held in Rabat after meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, his upcoming field visit to the southern regions of the Kingdom, including the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla.
Rioux clarified that this visit comes within the framework of implementing the joint declaration signed in October 2024 between His Majesty King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron, in which the French president expressed France’s new position regarding the southern regions, emphasizing that the mission aligns with the rapid activation of this strategic direction.
He disclosed the expansion of the French Development Agency’s intervention areas to include the southern regions, highlighting the strategic importance of these areas as a bridge to sub-Saharan Africa via the Atlantic coast, which he described as a crucial framework for the agency’s future work.
He reaffirmed the strength of the partnership between Morocco and France, noting its strategic dimension, and reminded that Morocco is the primary partner of the French Development Agency, with investments exceeding 3 billion euros distributed across more than 70 ongoing projects. He also indicated the presence of at least 80 agency staff working on the ground in various regions of the Kingdom.
This visit is part of the enhanced partnership between the two countries and embodies their shared commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation and supporting sustainable development projects throughout Morocco, with particular attention to the southern regions as part of this new dynamic.
