The Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, affirmed on Thursday, July 24, in Tangier, Morocco’s unwavering commitment to supporting common African action to build a green, resilient, and prosperous future for the continent.
“I reiterate Morocco’s steadfast commitment to supporting joint African action and actively engaging in the construction of a green, strong, and prosperous future for the continent, in order to meet the aspirations of the peoples and preserve the rights of current and future generations,” Ms. Benali emphasized in a video address at the opening of the first edition of the Regional Green Economy Forum (RGEF), organized under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, at the initiative of the World Green Economy Organization (WGEO).
During this event, themed “Strengthening African Cities, Paving the Way to Carbon Neutrality,” the minister recalled that Morocco, in line with the visionary outlook of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, has made South-South cooperation a strategic choice and a central pillar of its foreign policy, based on active solidarity and integration, to build a resilient, united, integrated, and sustainable Africa.
In this context, Ms. Benali highlighted several pioneering initiatives launched by Morocco in Africa, including the establishment of three African climate commissions during COP22 in Marrakech, marking an important turning point in strengthening continental climate action, as well as the launch of the Royal Initiative aimed at facilitating access for Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean, which will enhance regional connectivity and integration through the deployment of Moroccan infrastructure in support of common development in Africa.
She further noted that this forum presents a valuable opportunity to address major themes capable of supporting African countries in their transition to carbon neutrality and developing innovative and concrete solutions to strengthen sustainable development dynamics on the African continent.
In the same vein, the minister stated that “the transition to a green economy is no longer just a choice of development, but an urgent and strategic necessity to face the complex challenges confronting the continent, foremost among which are climate change, vulnerability, depletion of natural resources, and ongoing geopolitical, economic, and financial fluctuations.”
At the national level, Ms. Benali asserted that in accordance with the High Guidelines of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco has embarked on an ambitious and proactive path, making sustainability a key pillar of public policies and a strategic choice guiding national development.
In this regard, she emphasized the adoption by the Kingdom of the National Sustainable Development Strategy, which serves as a comprehensive framework aimed at integrating the principles of sustainability into sectoral and territorial planning and making it a central element of public policies, with a view to establishing an inclusive and resilient green economy by 2035.
This strategy, she continued, is currently being updated to align with the New Development Model (NMD) and the spirit of international agreements, recalling Morocco’s adoption of an ambitious and integrated energy strategy centered around three main axes: the development of renewable energies, the enhancement of energy efficiency across various sectors, and the consolidation of regional integration.
The minister clarified that renewable energies currently represent more than 45% of the national installed electrical capacity, estimating that the Kingdom is “on the right track” to achieve the goal of 52% by 2030.
She also mentioned the development of six integrated decarbonization sectoral plans, the updating of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), targeting a 53% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, the preparation of a national roadmap for the circular economy by the end of the current year, as well as the development of territorial climate plans at the regional level to propose effective local solutions for mitigation and adaptation.
This two-day event, organized with the support of the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, the Council of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, and the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG-Africa), aims to support the efforts of the African continent in sustainable urban development with a low carbon footprint, enhance cooperation among various actors at the local, national, and international levels, and promote the exchange of experiences and best practices, as well as encourage investment in green infrastructure, renewable energies, and sustainable mobility.
The opening ceremony of this forum was attended by the president of the WGEO, the president of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, the governor of the province of Fahs-Anjra, the UN Resident Coordinator in Morocco, the secretary general of UCLG-Africa, as well as several officials and experts in the field.
