“Thanks to digitalization and the immense opportunities and solutions that arise with it, we will be able to build platforms for exchange, entrepreneurship and innovation in an Africa that is full of potential and opportunities to build a better future for generations to come” , he noted, emphasizing the importance of interoperability, which is “an additional lever to allow integration and interconnection between us and the development and strengthening of synergies at the service of African businesses, while facilitating cross-border trade and access to international markets”.
“This digital transformation strategy will be able to facilitate the implementation of the African Free Trade Area -ZLECAf”, noted Youssef Ahouzi.
For his part, the Director General of the Digital Development Agency (ADD), Mohamed Idrissi Meliani, stressed the urgency of initiating deep reflections on the implementation of an innovative and resilient recovery model that must place humans and their environment at the center of concerns, in a post-pandemic context.
“This is now an inevitable digital transformation for any development model wishing to reinvent itself by combining both performance aspirations and economic resilience,” he noted.
The DG of ADD also pointed out that a growing number of startups (young innovative companies) and young African digital technology savvy people are taking advantage of these technologies and the specific needs of Africa to deploy business models. high growth.
“The value of some African startups is currently estimated at more than 1 billion USD. More than 640 technology parks and incubators are active on the continent, compared to 314 in 2016,” he explained.
“Nevertheless, to achieve the objectives of Agenda 2063 and ensure massive job creation for young people, digital transformation must spread beyond these islands of success,” he insisted.
In the same vein, Tariq Maaouni, Director of Organization and Information Systems at the National Ports Agency (ANP), noted that in recent years, the digital transformation of international trade has accelerated. through the creation of several national, regional and international initiatives aimed at the integration and interoperability of the various players in the cross-border trade value chain.
“As such, we can only salute Morocco’s achievements in terms of maritime connectivity to strengthen the links between the country and the rest of the world with the African continent. The port of Dakhla Atlantic will surely strengthen and further diversify the connectivity of African countries,” he said.
Regarding South-South cooperation, Tariq Maaouni pointed out that it is at the heart of Moroccan foreign policy but also at the heart of their various strategies, adding that “the dynamics of African economies are today part of a roadmap around the objectives of sustainable development, strengthened South-South solidarity and human and social cohesion”.
In addition, this meeting was organized by the one-stop shop PORTNET SA in partnership with the National Ports Agency (ANP) and the Digital Development Agency (ADD), a few months after the first anniversary of the entry into force of the African Free Trade Area (ZLECAF), on January 1, 2021.