Morocco, Mali to Bolster Bilateral Economic Partnership

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Mali (CCIM) and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), in partnership with the National Council of Employers of Mali (CNPM), organized the Mali-Morocco Business Forum on Thursday in Bamako, on the sidelines of the 4th session of the Morocco-Mali Joint Cooperation Commission.

Led by the President of the CGEM, Mehdi Tazi, the Moroccan delegation is composed of companies representing numerous strategic sectors, notably agri-food, energy, construction and public works (BTP), real estate, mining, finance, telecommunications, and logistics, a CGEM press release indicates.

This forum saw the participation of the Minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mezzour, the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Mali, Moussa Alassane Diallo, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Mali, Madiou Simpara, the President of the CNPM, Mossadeck Bally, as well as more than 300 Moroccan and Malian economic operators, demonstrating the strong and growing interest of the business communities of both countries in creating new opportunities for collaboration and co-investment, the same source specifies.

The forum was marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the CGEM and the CNPM, officializing the relaunch of the Morocco-Mali Business Council, the press release states. It notes that this permanent dialogue platform will be tasked with identifying and promoting investment projects, supporting Moroccan and Malian companies in their procedures, facilitating connections between partners, and presenting recommendations to competent authorities aimed at improving the business environment and removing obstacles encountered by economic operators.

This Business Council is co-chaired by Moncef Ziani on the Moroccan side and by Sory Ibrahima Maiga on the Malian side, the press release adds.

A second agreement was signed between the National Federation of Electricity, Electronics and Renewable Energies (FENELEC) and the Malian Federation of Electricity, Energy, and New and Renewable Energies (FENEM), in order to strengthen cooperation between Moroccan and Malian companies in the energy sector.

The speeches highlighted that Morocco and Mali share the same conviction: the continent’s future depends on more dynamic intra-African trade, more integrated regional value chains, and the development of structuring projects that create added value and jobs, the press release adds.

In this perspective, the Royal Atlantic Initiative championed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, aimed at facilitating access to the Atlantic Ocean for Sahel countries, opens up significant prospects for strengthening regional connectivity, streamlining trade, and building an area of shared prosperity in the service of African economic integration.

The proceedings continued with a panel dedicated to the business regulatory framework and investment opportunities in Mali and Morocco, bringing together representatives from the Investment Promotion Agency of Mali (API-Mali), the Export Promotion Agency of Mali (APEX-Mali), the Moroccan Agency for Investment and Export Development (AMDIE), the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN), and the Morocco-Mali Business Council.

Participants then took part in an important series of B2B, B2G, and G2G meetings, fostering direct networking between businesses and institutions from both countries.

This forum marks a new stage in economic relations between Morocco and Mali and reflects a shared ambition: to evolve a historical relationship of trust into an even stronger partnership of investment, co-development, and value creation.

The goal is now to build an economic space where Moroccan companies invest in Mali to support its development dynamics, while Malian companies find in Morocco an industrial, logistical, and financial platform allowing them to access global markets, the press release concludes.