Mene made these comments during talks in Rabat with the Head of Government, Saad Dine El Otmani.

On this occasion, Mene welcomed the great progress made by Morocco, particularly in the industrial sector.

Quoted in a statement issued by the Department of the Head of Government, the African official stressed the need to support the implementation of this free trade zone, while emphasizing in this regard the important contribution of women and youth, the promotion of integration of SMEs and institution building while benefiting from the successful experiences of African countries, in addition to the sharing of expertise.

He also expressed his commitment to ensure the success of this project as well as the strict application of the guarantees allowing African countries to join this mechanism.

For his part, El Otmani shed light on the importance Morocco attaches to this free trade area, noting that the Kingdom has adhered to this pioneering initiative from the start, given its promising prospects in terms of strengthening intra-African cooperation and economic integration.

This accession was made in accordance with the principles and objectives of the African policy adopted by Morocco for more than two decades, under the wise leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, he said.

The Head of Government also underlined the need to support the establishment of the legal bases of this agreement, through far-reaching reforms aimed at promoting the culture of work, reliability and attachment to the quality of production, while focusing on skills training, support for businesses, particularly SMEs, and improving the business climate, noting that these actions will enable Africa to meet the challenges related to global competitiveness.

El Otmani reiterated, on this occasion, Morocco's strong support for this project and its willingness to share its expertise and experiences with friendly African countries, to which the Kingdom is bound by more than 1,000 cooperation agreements covering all areas of social and economic development, in addition to significant Moroccan investments made in more than 25 African countries, and training programs in Moroccan institutes that have benefited tens of thousands of African executives.