McInnes, who also chairs the Board of Directors of the Safran group, which signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kingdom on the occasion of French President Emmanuel Macron's State visit to Morocco, for an investment project involving the construction and equipping of a LEAP aircraft engine maintenance and repair (MRO) workshop with an investment value of nearly €130 million, said that “Morocco has positioned itself as a major stakeholder, making significant advances in sectors such as aeronautics, where French companies like Safran employ a significant number of Moroccan talents.”

He told MAP that cooperation between the two countries is now part of a “co-industrialization approach, granting increasing value to products of Moroccan origin, and our objective is to further strengthen this creation of value within the Kingdom.”

He added that Morocco is also a strategic ally, thanks to its geographic proximity, but also its economic and energy environment, noting that the Kingdom's energy transition, in particular its investments in solar and wind power, is an additional asset. 

“This shift towards renewable energies reinforces our sustainable development approach,” he said.

With regard to cooperation with Africa, McInnes stressed that “Morocco and France share a common past, expertise, influence, a convergence of talents and complementary knowledge, which creates a fertile ground for mutually enriching collaborations on the African continent.”