The second congress of the Union of African Agricultural Engineers opened yesterday, Monday in Rabat, under the theme “food security in Africa in the face of the challenges of climate change and population growth”.
During the inaugural ceremony of this two-day congress, enhanced by the participation of 17 African countries, the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Waters and Forests, Mohamed Sadiki, indicated that the theme of this event is all the more important in that it takes place in a particular world economic situation and under the influence of climate change and the phenomena experienced by certain regions, in particular Africa, which is characterized by drought, desertification, natural disasters, and conflict.
The Minister adds: Throughout history, African identity has been one of the important strategic choices for Morocco, as evidenced by the long history of commercial, cultural and spiritual exchanges between Morocco and the countries of the continent. The African identity of Morocco has acquired a new dimension and a new breath since the beginning of the second millennium, by being part of a long-term vision centered on the development of fair, just and balanced economic relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and african countries “.
In this context, Morocco is making sincere efforts to develop bilateral and multilateral South-South cooperation with several African countries, noted the minister, recalling that the Kingdom has concluded, in this context, several bilateral agreements relating to preferential trade. , promotion and protection of mutual investment and double taxation, and even regional trade and investment agreements.
This cooperation is manifested, for example, in the Moroccan-Nigerian cooperation within the framework of the gas pipeline project between Nigeria and Morocco and the project of the new chemicals platform, he added.
The break with the traditional donor/recipient duality
On the sidelines of this congress, Mohamed Sadiki emphasizes Morocco’s commitment to exchanging experiences, sharing expertise and transferring skills according to a logic based, on the one hand on horizontal cooperation between African countries, and on the other hand, solidarity beyond the traditional duality between donors and recipients, by establishing the pillars of a mutually beneficial partnership.
To this end, the Moroccan minister invokes the launch in April 2016 of the “Adaptation of African Agriculture to Climate Change (AAA)” initiative during COP22 in Marrakech, which aims to optimize food security on the African continent by promoting practices aimed at adapting to climate change, building the capacities of actors and channeling financial flows to the most vulnerable populations.
As part of encouraging investment, strengthening promising sectors and supporting the social component, Mohamed Sadiki invoked the launch of several structuring projects and major development projects, such as the Green Morocco Plan (PMV) for the period 2008-2020 and the new “Generation Green 2020-2030” agricultural strategy.
The President of the Association of Agricultural Engineers of Morocco (AIAM), Abed Yacoubi-Soussane, indicated “the climate crisis is no longer to be expected or expected, it is there, and unfortunately our continent the month prepared is the most affected”, adding that “it is up to us, Africans, to manage our environment more and more difficult and complex.
Abel Yacoubi-Soussane believes that the cross challenge of food security and climate change requires a global review of the relationship to resources in order to plan and implement adequate transitions.
At the same time, he noted that the AIAM, created in 1985, aims to be a platform for reflection, promotion and sharing of expertise between Moroccan agricultural engineers. Internationally, the Association is an active member of the Union of Arab Agricultural Engineers and simultaneously holds the positions of Deputy Secretary General and member of the executive board.
The agenda of this 2nd Organizational Congress of the Union of African Agricultural Engineers revolves around the adoption of the statute of the Union and the identification of its structures.
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