Morocco-Switzerland: Stronger Economic Partnership in Innovative Sectors with Focus on Africa

The Kingdom of Morocco and the Swiss Confederation stressed, on Friday, the importance of economic exchanges between the two countries’ respective private sectors. Speaking at a press briefing following talks in Rabat, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and the Swiss Federal Advisor, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Ignazio Cassis, stressed the importance of further strengthening the economic partnership. They highlighted the growing joint economic potential, with total trade volume exceeding 700 million Swiss francs for the first time in 2022, noting that the Kingdom is the Swiss Confederation’s third-largest partner in Africa, and that Switzerland is one of the Top 10 foreign investors in Morocco, with 50 Swiss companies in Morocco employing around 7,000 people. Bourita highlighted the opportunities offered by the free trade agreement between Morocco and Europe, noting that a strong structuring of the economic players in both countries and the setting up of a businessmen’s council would greatly help in this perspective. He also stressed that the two countries are working within the framework of tripartite Moroccan-Swiss cooperation with Africa, noting the signing of a series of cooperation agreements and programs between the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation and the Swiss cooperation directorates.