After three days of fruitful discussion and dialogue on the subject of “Building the future together,” the 14th US-Africa Business Summit came to an end on Friday in Marrakech.
A sizable U.S. government delegation, African ministers, decision-makers from the biggest U.S. multinational corporations, and the African business community were all present at the event, which was organised by the Moroccan government in collaboration with the “Corporate Council on Africa” (CCA). It was an opportunity to create ambitious trilateral business relationships between the United States, Morocco, and Africa.
After the closing 14th US-Africa Business Summit ceremony, Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour informed the press, “We can proudly say that Morocco has organised an extraordinary Summit, which was a great success.”
More than 1,500 participants, six FMs, more than 20 ministers from various sectors, and more than fifty African countries have come together for this event, he added, noting that 80% of attendees are from the private sector.
“More than 450 U.S. companies were present, which is huge. Over 5,000 connections were initiated between representatives of the public and private sectors,” the minister continued, saying that many business agreements between American and African enterprises were signed on the occasion.
Mr Mezzour thanked the 250 members of the national and international media who covered this event of major international significance, noting that more than 40% of the attendees were female.
Alan Kyerematen, the minister for trade and industry in Ghana, said the summit was “a rich experience which allowed us to share our ideas and experiences about current U.S. government programmes to support Africa.”
In particular, in the post-Covid scenario, Mr Kyerematen noted, “the Summit also provided an opportunity for the African public and private sectors to share their vision for the future of U.S.-Africa relations.”
A “deeper engagement between the United States and Africa, between the private and public sectors of African countries, and between the private sectors in Africa and the United States” will be made possible by this summit, he continued.
For her part, Florizelle Liser, president and chief executive officer of the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), said the summit offered a chance to highlight how crucial it is for the U.S. and African governments, as well as the African and American private sectors, to work together “to promote investment, economic and trade relations between the United States and Africa.”
She continued, [quotation name=’Florizelle Liser’]We are honoured and delighted to work closely with the Moroccan government and for having the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.[/quotation]
