A cooperation agreement was signed on Friday in Laayoune between the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) and the business associations of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) countries. This took place on the sidelines of the Parliamentary Forum on economic cooperation between Morocco and the regional bloc's Parliament. Signed by CGEM President Chakib Alj and representatives of the CEMAC business associations, the agreement establishes a Morocco-CEMAC Task Force as a joint platform for dialogue, coordination, and economic cooperation. Its mission is to structure collaboration, encourage information exchange, share best practices and business opportunities, support joint projects between companies from both regions, and serve as a proactive interface between Moroccan and CEMAC business communities. The agreement also creates a Steering Committee, co-chaired by a CGEM representative and one from each CEMAC business association. This committee will set up sectoral working groups, bringing together business leaders, experts, and institutional partners around priority themes. The parties commit to cooperating on identifying high-potential sectors of complementarity such as agro-industry, infrastructure, renewable energy, manufacturing industries, and digital services. They also pledged to facilitate business partnerships through matchmaking programs and B2B meetings, organize regular economic forums, and promote cross-investment, regional integration, and support for technology and skills transfer via training, expertise exchange, and industrial co-development projects. In a statement to MAP during the ceremony, Chakib Alj highlighted the complementarities between Morocco's and CEMAC economies, emphasizing the agreement to identify practical actions to boost economic ties. «Our goal is to create momentum between Moroccan companies and their CEMAC counterparts, fostering synergy and knowledge exchange», said the CGEM president. Similarly, Jean Daniel Ovaga, Chairman of the Congolese National Union of Economic Operators (UNOC), stressed that the agreement enables the private sector—a key driver of economic growth and value creation—to fully contribute to identifying priority cooperation sectors benefiting Morocco and CEMAC populations. «This is a strong commitment to move forward together, rebuild Africa, and bring growth and expertise to local communities», he stated. The Parliamentary Forum on economic cooperation between Morocco and the CEMAC Parliament aims to promote joint development projects and contribute to Africa's economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.
