The Moroccan News Agency (MAP) received an award on Saturday evening in Essaouira, during a ceremony organized in honor of several personalities and national and foreign institutions, which have stood out in various fields in 2021.

During this event, organized by a private company operating in the field of media, together with the International Center for Legal and Institutional Activities, the Provincial Council of Essaouira and other partners, an award was presented to MAP, on behalf of its Director General, Khalil Hachimi Idrissi, as a sign of recognition of the efforts made by this pioneering national institution and its constant commitment to ensure its leadership role on the national, continental, regional and international media scenes in a continuously changing context.

This distinction is also an eloquent testimony, by the organizers, of their gratitude for the unfailing commitment and the colossal and professional work accomplished by MAP throughout the year 2021, which has imposed itself as an agency of the 21st century and asserted itself as an irreversible and unavoidable real-time source of information.

During this event, which blew its 4th candle this year, other prizes were also awarded to several institutions and national personalities who have marked the past year, namely the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans abroad, Nasser Bourita, the Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration and Family, Aouatif Hayar, the Secretary General of the Department of Environment and Sustainable Development, Mohamed Benyahiya, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Redouane Arach, the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, President of the Public Prosecutor's Office, El Hassan Daki, the member of the High Council of the Judiciary, Younes Zouhri, the former Moroccan ambassador to Norway in Iceland, Lamia Radi, the Secretary General of the Rabita Mohammedia of Ulemas, Ahmed Abbadi, the President of the Communal Council of Marrakech, Fatima Zohra El Mansouri and Salwa Idrissi Akhannouch and Meyrem Bensalah as businesswomen.

The winners also include the artist Hamid Bouchnak, the assistant coach of the national soccer team, Mustapha Hajji, the athlete Soufiyane El Bekkali, the president of the Moroccan Federation of Newspaper Publishers (FMEJ), Noureddine Miftah, the director of production at the TV channel One minute TV and the digital expert, Fadoua Kamal.

An array of foreign personalities were also awarded prizes on this occasion, such as the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in Rabat, Al Asri Saeed Ahmed Aldhaheri, the dean of the African Diplomatic Corps in Morocco and Ambassador of Cameroon, Mohammedou Youssoufou and the Secretary General of the Council of the Jewish community of Morocco, Serge Berdugo.

At the local level, other awards were given to the cell of fight against COVID-19 at the provincial delegation of health and to the commander of the Royal Gendarmerie company in Essaouira, Abderrahim Jouhari.

In a speech, the chairman of the organizing committee, Youssef El Mourih, highlighted the importance of this event which aims to enshrine the culture of recognition and gratitude to all those who have rendered valuable services and contributed to the influence of Morocco both nationally and internationally, under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI.

He also expressed his conviction that this culture will remain the breadcrumb trail of the action taken by the organizers in the service of the Kingdom's interests, recalling that a tribute was paid to about 300 people and institutions during the previous editions of this event which is in its fourth edition.

This initiative is, moreover, a contribution to consolidate this culture of recognition at the level of Essaouira as a city of coexistence, sharing and living together, he added.

For their part, officials and personalities among the recipients of these awards, present at this ceremony, welcomed the organization of this event, while welcoming this kind of commendable and highly symbolic initiatives that tend to anchor this culture of recognition, celebrating personalities and institutions for their efforts and their actions, each in its field, for the development and influence of the Kingdom.