After 9 years of presence and success in the Tangier Free Zone area, GMD Métal Tanger, a subsidiary of GMD Group and a leader in the field of subcontracting for the automotive sector, has decided to intensify its local presence with the opening of this plant of 30,000 m2 on a land area of 45,000 m2.

This project required an investment of 50 million euros for the construction of the industrial building, which meets the latest industrial requirements and the latest generation production means.

Thanks to this investment, combined with the expertise and technicality of its teams, GMD Métal Tanger becomes the reference site of the stamping division in terms of competitiveness and production capacity.

According to the article's author, Roberto León Ramírez, this vision is geared towards generating jobs for young people, developing African agriculture and promoting renewable energy.

Morocco has been gradually strengthening its investments in sub-Saharan African countries for several years, as part of a "strategic vision based on the creation of strong alliances between Morocco and African countries" through the numerous tours made by HM King Mohammed VI in these regions.

"These tours were mainly aimed at "promoting the process of African cooperation, as part of a 'win-win' economic equation," says the former Chilean MP, who is a lawyer by profession.

Moroccan companies wishing to internationalize their activities are part of this "strategic direction" of the Kingdom which wants "to create an economic bloc in Africa, capable of negotiating and defending the vital interests of the continent," said Roberto León.

"This strategy, associated with the style of government of King Mohammed VI, is based on the search for new partners, as part of the policy of diversification of economic and trade relations at the international, continental and regional level," continued the columnist.

In the same context, the Chilean exert further noted that this strategy has enabled the Kingdom to "become a major investor in sub-Saharan Africa and in particular in West African countries."

He also cited a recent report by the Ministry of Economy and Finance which states that Moroccan investments on the African continent have increased from MAD 907 million in 2007, to MAD 5.4 billion in 2019.

These investments, which represent 47% of total Moroccan foreign direct investment, are made in more than 14 African countries, including Côte d'Ivoire, Chad, Senegal, Madagascar, Cameroon (4%) and Mauritius.

This initiative comes in application of the High Royal Instructions relating to the launch of a profound reform and rehabilitation of the health sector and as part of the development of the supply of care to accompany the royal site of general social protection.

This regional hospital, which reinforces the provision of care in the region of Drâa-Tafilalet, is built on a covered area of 13,864 m² and targets a population of 2 million people.

This establishment, which is equipped with medical and biomedical devices, has a bed capacity of 262 beds, including 69 for the medicine unit, 60 for the surgery unit, 76 for the mother and child unit, 25 for the chest disease unit and 11 for the resuscitation unit, in addition to 8 beds for the post-anesthesia unit.

The center also contains a radiology unit, with 4 rooms of radiology and 2 rooms of scanner, a technical unit of childbirth, with 8 rooms, a surgical complex, composed of 6 rooms, in addition to 13 emergency rooms.

According to the release, the Director General of National Security has given strict instructions to all security services to make available all human and technical resources necessary to the service of the investigation, to unravel the mystery surrounding this case and determine the responsibilities.

The police of Benguerir announced Thursday evening, the death of an individual placed in custody under judicial investigation during his transfer to hospital.

The body of the deceased was made available for autopsy while a judicial inquiry was opened under the supervision of the competent prosecutor to identify all the ins and outs of this incident.

These two proposals were submitted to the General Assembly by the Executive Council of FAAPA, chaired by Khalil Hachimi Idrissi. The number of members of the FAAPA Executive Council was thus increased to eleven, instead of the current nine.

The General Assembly also approved the candidacies of the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the Guinea News Agency (AGP) and the Gabon News Agency (AGP) to become members of the Executive Council.

In addition, the General Assembly approved the creation of an Honorary Committee, which will be composed of former Chief Executive Officers of African news agencies and eminent personalities, with the aim of defending the objectives of FAAPA and reflecting on its future.

The General Assembly also adopted an amendment to the FAAPA Grand Prize to clarify the criteria for selecting candidates and to make it easier for news agencies to apply. This amendment will also open the Prize to other fields, namely culture and innovation.

In addition, the second day of this General Assembly was marked by the examination of training proposals for journalists and executives of member agencies, particularly in the areas of community management, artificial intelligence, commercial marketing and editorial techniques.

Created in 2014 on the sidelines of the 1st Forum of News Agencies of Atlantic and West Africa in Casablanca, FAAPA is an essential milestone for the modernization of information and a professional platform that allows African countries to share their experiences and know-how in the field of news agencies.

In an exclusive interview published in the latest issue of Maroc Hebdo, the former Spanish official said this agreement "must have several aspects, including economic, social, human ones among others."

Rumí revealed she was "very happy" to see the two countries "establish a relationship of trust and transparency that is even more cemented than in the past," saying that the future of both countries in several areas will depend.

It has, in this context, argued that a new stage has already been initiated between the two countries, since April 2022 and the visit of Spanish Government President Pedro Sánchez to Morocco, at the invitation of HM King Mohammed VI.

"The process of a broad and fruitful cooperation is underway. It is supported and nourished by the strategic importance of the ties that unite the two countries, especially at the economic and security level," said Rumí.

She further noted that the meeting of the High Joint Commission to be held before the end of this year should allow to discuss and strengthen bilateral ties based on more solid foundations than ever.

For the former Spanish Secretary of State, relations between Morocco and Spain must be based on trust and mutual enrichment in all aspects of political, economic, social and cultural life. These relations "must remain invariable regardless of the political formations brought to power. [...] If this changes, it will be a serious political blunder," she said.

Referring to the problem of illegal immigration, Rumí said that Morocco, because of its strategic geographical location, "is in a complicated situation. It is a country of destination and transit. It must therefore control all irregular immigration from the south in general and at the same time control its northern shores."

In this regard, she said that Morocco "needs a strong collaboration and external commitment, especially from Spain and the European Union," adding that this collaboration must be reflected in the granting of the necessary funds that allow better border management.

She also explained that migration and mobility are a major issue of human, social and economic development, both for Morocco and Spain, as long as it is within the framework of regular, safe and orderly migration.

Regarding the Sahara issue, Consuelo Rumí believes that Spain will never change its position on this issue. "It is irreversible," she opined.

She renewed her approval of Spain's recognition of the Moroccan autonomy plan as the most credible and serious solution for the final settlement of this conflict. "I continue to believe, with all my heart, that this is the right way forward," she said.

This meeting was an opportunity to review the levels of security cooperation and areas of police coordination on various issues of common interest, which draw their strength in the distinguished relations and deep ties between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, said a statement from the Directorate General of National Security (DGSN).

The two sides also discussed mechanisms to improve operational cooperation in security matters, strengthen technical assistance and exchange experiences and best practices adopted to improve police training services, with the aim of achieving the aspirations of the two brotherly countries to security and stability and strengthen joint efforts to fight the dangers of terrorism and transnational organized crime, the statement said.

The Emirati side was informed of the Moroccan experience in the field of maintaining public security and followed explanations about the structural organization and powers entrusted to the various units and security formations responsible for ensuring the safety of citizens and protect their property.

According to the statement, this meeting reflects the depth of cooperative relations between security institutions and law enforcement agencies in the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the convergence of views on the centrality of security cooperation as an effective mechanism to address security risks and terrorist threats.

A total of 24,907,945 people have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while the number of fully vaccinated people (1st and 2nd doses) has reached 23,405,010, the ministry pointed out in its daily COVID-19 bulletin, noting that 6,826,720 people have received the third dose of the vaccine, while 50,990 people have received the fourth dose.

According to the same source, the number of COVID-19 cases reported since the start of the outbreak of the virus rose to 1,265,072, while recoveries increased to 1,248,641, i.e. a recovery rate of 98.7%.

The new COVID-19 cases were recorded in the regions of Casablanca-Settat (08), Rabat-Salé-Kenitra (06), Marrakech-Safi (03), Souss-Massa (03), Eastern region (01) and Darâa-Tafilalet (01).

As for coronavirus-related fatalities, they remain at 16,278, with no death reported in the past 24 hours.

The number of active cases stands at 153, while one severe or critical case was recorded in the past 24 hours.

In his presentation of the FAAPA's activity report at its 6th General Assembly, Anis noted that despite the health crisis and events that have impacted the media world, the federation has greatly contributed to the dissemination of information about Covid-19 on its website, with the aim of keeping users informed of developments in the pandemic as well as the measures taken to counter the spread of the virus.

Indeed, FAAPA has proceeded, with the support of MAP, to a wide dissemination of a daily newsletter entitled "Africa Covid-19", dedicated to the pandemic, with the objective of giving an overview of the evolution of the coronavirus in different African countries, he recalled.

Similarly, he added, FAAPA has launched the website of the Network of Women Leaders of African News Agencies (NWL), a professional platform dedicated to leadership and a space for communication and sharing for women journalists and leaders.

In addition, as part of FAAPA's activities and actions to encourage excellence and innovation in African news agencies, the winners of FAAPA Grand Prix for the best video report, best article and best photo were announced after the evaluation notified to the federation's general secretariat by the members of the jury, who examined and selected the productions submitted to this competition.

On another level, the Executive Council discussed the various points included in the FAAPA action plan for the period 2022-2023, focusing in particular on the organization of the 7th General Assembly of Directors General of African News Agencies scheduled for November 2023, as well as the holding of the 9th and 10th meetings of FAAPA Executive Council in member countries.

The action plan also includes the organization of conferences on topical issues such as artificial intelligence and women's leadership, the organization of training seminars, the holding of the 2nd forum of news directors and the 2nd symposium of IT managers as well as the organization of the 2nd meeting of women leaders of African news agencies.

In the area of communication and multimedia, FAAPA's action plan includes the redesign and development of FAAPA website, as well as the organization of and participation in media activities and events.

Regarding the statistical analysis of FAAPA's website, the Executive Council members welcomed the number and frequency of visits to the website, highlighting the need to sensitize the relevant departments to boost the contribution to the platform.

Finally, with regard to training, FAAPA secretary general recalled that due to the global health situation related to the Covid-19 pandemic, several events have been postponed.

However, he highlighted the resumption of training cycles, including the organization of the seminar on sports journalism in May 2022.

"Transnational organized crime, terrorism and separatism are closely linked, threaten regional and international peace and security, and undermine the stability and territorial integrity of States," Hilale said during a debate held Thursday at the Council under the theme "Peace and Security in Africa: Strengthening the fight against the financing of armed groups and terrorists through the illicit trafficking of natural resources," under the chairmanship of Michael Moussa-Adamo, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Gabon, which assumes the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council, for the month of October.

The ambassador reiterated, on this occasion, the firm commitment of Morocco to fight and pursue its regional and international cooperation, to put an end to the sources of financing of armed groups, terrorists and separatists, in order to promote peace and stability in Africa and in the world.

Noting that the illicit trafficking of fish and wildlife resources, oil and gas products, precious stones and metals and illegal exploitation of forests and coal are widespread forms of financing terrorism and armed groups in Africa, Hilale stressed the need for the international community to mobilize more and urgently to prevent and combat these activities and asphyxiate these groups undermining peace and regional and international security.

He said that in accordance with its international obligations, Morocco, party to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, considers the financing of terrorism as a serious crime in national legislation and regulations.

Referring to the actions undertaken by the Kingdom to fight the financing of terrorism, including through the illicit exploitation of natural resources, the ambassador cited the establishment of a multidimensional and proactive strategy combining both a holistic approach and pioneering initiatives integrating the legal, institutional, financial and security components.