Morocco’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Ryad Mezzour, held talks with Democratic Republic of Congo’s Minister of Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku, on the sidelines of the 3rd “Africa Trade & Invest” Forum, held on November 6-7 in Frankfurt.
On this occasion, the two ministers discussed means to strengthen Moroccan-Congolese cooperation, mainly in energy and mining, and examined the progress of common projects in the two strategic sectors.
The meeting with the Congolese Minister was also an opportunity to highlight the vision of HM King Mohammed VI for a confident Africa and a Morocco committed to a co-development partnership with the Continent, as recently illustrated by the Atlantic Initiative launched by the Sovereign, Mezzour said.
In a statement to MAP, Paluku commended the Royal Initiative, adding that his country wants to take part in it to strengthen its regional integration and benefit from the opportunities offered by this strategic alliance, particularly in cobalt, where the country has the world's largest deposit.
In this respect, Paluku stressed the importance of Moroccan-Congolese cooperation in EVs, recalling that in 2021, during the “DRC-Africa Business Forum” in Kinshasa, Mezzour presented the project to develop battery value chains in Africa.
“Today, in Frankfurt, I'm pleased to learn that the Moroccan project has made good progress,” said the Congolese Minister, expressing his country's wish to benefit from Morocco's experience in order to replicate the Moroccan model in DR-Congo.
Paluku also commended Morocco's vision of mutual assistance, co-development and shared prosperity for Africa. “For African countries, exchanging experiences is essential, as we share common challenges. Rather than following external models, we can benefit from our own experiences,” he said.
