Address of Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami, at the 11th Summit of the Speakers of African Parliaments

 Honorable President,

Honorable colleagues, Speakers of African Legislative Assemblies and Heads of delegations,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I Would like, first of all, to express to you, Honorable President, my sincerest thanks and gratitude for having  kindly invited  me  to take part in the Eleventh Annual Summit of the Speakers of African Parliaments. I would also like to commend the choice made regarding the theme that we will deal with during this session, and which is of a central concern for the parliaments and governments, and more particularly for the peoples of Africa and the whole world.

The African Union was right and forward looking when choosing the year 2022 to be a year of “Nutrition and building the capacities of the continent in nutrition and food security: Strengthening the food agriculture and healthcare and social protection systems to accelerate the development of the human, social, and economic capital.” In the same regard, the climatic phenomena which we went through, particularly during 2022, and notably the rise of temperature degrees, do presage some negative, and extremely dangerous climate changes and disequilibria. Regrettably, these mutations concerned both the North and the South, and led to drought, hydric stress, and kindled forest fires. All this will inevitably have some negative repercussions on food sources, and on the aggregate economic, social conditions, and ecological systems.

In addition to these phenomena, the world economy suffers the disastrous repercussions of the covid-19 pandemic. As it awaited a global economic recovery, humanity found itself facing a huge spike in energy prices, which halted the positive dynamics recorded in 2021 in national economies and international exchanges, because of the war in Eastern Europe and the rise in the cost of transport and scarcity of supply resources.

However, let us, esteemed colleagues, focus our debates and proposals on the situation in our continent, Africa, which has always suffered food scarcity, poor health services, water scarcity, and drought, and pays the price of greenhouse gas emissions while it does not benefit from industry and only contributes to 4% of these emissions. Africa is again a victim of global policies it did not contribute to elaborating, and to overexploitation of earth wealth that has not benefitted its peoples in development projects that would create economic and social mutations and achieve the just aspirations of its peoples.

In addition to these structural factors that hinder development in several African countries, the Covid-19 pandemic stopped the efforts of combatting poverty as its indices resumed their increase following the positive indices recorded between 2015 and 2019. In this regard, the United Nations attests that the rate of famine and poor nutrition is increasing among African peoples, which is the highest rate in the world.

Most certainly, those indices may know some substantial rise, and this may yet lead to a worsening of unemployment rates, a rise in the feeling of despondency and despair among a large category of our peoples, with a loss of trust in the future, especially the trust in this world order which does not do justice to the African Continent in the first place. In fact, the COVID 19 period has put to the test «the World solidarity » with Africa. Feelings of selfishness grew higher;  accordingly, the countries of the Continent had to face, alone, the pandemic and its repercussions, with some scarce means, and fragile health structure. Still, despite all these negative factors, our Continent left the battle ground with minimal casualties.

In the context of successive crises, of fierce competition over resources, and sharp rise in needs for resources, we need to know as African Parliamentarians , and as African elites, that we are at the crossroad of some decisive mutations. Those said mutations are expected to be massive, and building for some new international relations based on the logic of profit. Accordingly, we need to consider – in the right way – our means and resources, just as we need to work – hand in hand – with the same collective African spirit which had marked the period of struggle for national independence among all the African countries. The purpose for this is to build a new Africa which will rise from the ruins caused by political scissions, resource crises, and scarcity. As institutions and actors, we need – first of all – to work on projects and policies which will help Africa take advantage of its resources.

As His Majesty King Mohammed VI, May God glorify him, said, at Addis Ababa, in his historical address before the 28th  Summit of the African leaders on January 31, 2017: “the time has come for Africa to profit from its riches. After decades of looting the resources of the African lands, it is now necessary to create a new period of prosperity,” end of quote.

This Royal invitation, five years after its having been launched, , still has the same timeliness in the present international context. And this may be grounded on many considerations : 

1-        Africa has huge potentials which need to be converted into riches. The Continent has 60% of the world cultivable lands. There is no doubt that the optimal, modern, and sustainable exploitation of these lands will provide food for the inhabitants of the Continent and for a huge part of the world population. With respect to this, there is no need to remind anyone of the importance of food in the international present or future challenges.

2-        Our Continent abounds in fishery resources with some 13 million km² of African sea depth, and 6.5million Km² of African continental shelf which overflow with some huge resources. On the other hand, the 26 000 Km of the African  coastline may constitute a field for some gigantic activities, namely continental and international  trade exchanges that may prove to be both massive and beneficial

Most certainly, we shall not diverge when it comes to the consideration of these sea possibilities concerning the production of wealth, the provision of food, and the creation of job opportunities. To this shall be added  the process of development, especially when we take into consideration the fact that oceans contribute, by 50%, to the world food supply, in addition to their being a means of world communication and trade.

3-        More than that, our Continent also hosts young human resources which – if receiving the right training – may contribute to the conversion of these potentials into attractive resources of wealth. This, in turn, will be made into sources of stability and hope in the face of frustration and the desire of migrating abroad which are both nurtured by despair and unemployment.

4-        This way, our countries will be able to develop a sustainable agriculture, thanks to the huge water resources available in many of our countries, provided that the said resources be rationally mobilized, and soundly and diligently utilized. Once again, I shall recall with you the international water challenge to be faced during the 21^st century.

Honorable President,

Esteemed colleagues,

By going back to the climatic disequilibria, and with the rise of energy prices, we, too, need to sense the importance of clean energy sources which our continent overflows with, and which obviously need technology and funding. In this context, world solidarity and international cooperation become at stake, especially in Africa.

Concerning health services in Africa, please allow me to recall the fact that the COVID 19 pandemic has given rise to some selfish tendencies on the part of some rich and technologically advanced countries. To that effect, we have experienced and gone through the monopoly of vaccine, technology, means of protection, as well as medical equipment.

Should there be some reaction to come up with, and lessons to draw from this context, we should say that efforts should be to the setting of a cooperation system between African countries. Medical production units must be created, and South – South cooperation must be encouraged. This will, hopefully, bring back the African skills and brains, and boost scientific research and dynamic to the African soil.

As parliamentarians, we need to plead, internationally, for this purpose ; we must secure medicines for all , and lift off all the barricades that stand in the way of creating an independent African pharmaceutical industry, particularly patents which are used as a means for the perpetuation and justification of monopolies.

As parliamentarians, we must also plea for the transfer of technology into Africa, and work for facilitating the return of African brains to their homeland. The purpose will consist of making the multinationals implanted in Africa, and taking advantage of the Continent’s huge resources. It will also consist of  contributing  to these high economic and social profitability projects on the ground of investment and partnership, not on the ground of assistance and help.

Most certainly, it will be possible for the African institutions and agencies that have been created to that effect to constitute a framework for the coordination of the results reached through this parliamentary plea, and through the relating continental policies.

Esteemed colleagues,

The objectives mentioned above fall within the central scope which aims at consolidating and developing the Continent’s human and economic capital. Besides, those objectives are at the heart of human rights, and constitute the core of democratic values. To that effect, it is the parliaments which – as institutions – take the forefront position in the personification of those values, and when it also comes to their being entrusted with those values.

To reach those objectives, we are required to set a political framework, and make some coordinated efforts that must be deployed internationally. We must also come up with some simplified national legislations, and public policies, whose supervision, control, evaluation, implementation, and quality control must be supervised by the parliament.

The Kingdom of Morocco, under the leadership of His Majesty, King Mohammed VI, has proven its full involvement in this continental horizon. To reach this end, the Kingdom has relentlessly been involved in pleading for the causes of South – South partnership, and showing its preference for this kind of cooperation. On the ground of reality, this has taken shape in the Kingdom’s huge investments in a number of countries in the light of win-win logic. Hence, 60% of the Moroccan investments abroad are directed towards Africa.

The African farm houses, in addition to the AAA Initiative, launched by His Majesty King Mohamed VI, with a number of his African brothers, during the COP 22 summit held at Marrakech in 2016, represent some examples of wealth producing, and poverty deflecting cooperation. The purpose here is to reduce the African fragility and its agriculture in the face of climatic disequilibria, and the promotion of some agricultural project in a number of African countries.

The Cherifian Phosphates Office (Fr. Office Chérifien des Phosphates [OCP]) can, today, be considered as an African leader in the field of fertilizing, developing and advancing African agriculture. It is presently in the process of supporting the development of  agriculture in several African countries.

If our continent happens to be at the heart of many international challenges, and if it happens to be at the heart of an international race, this is because it abounds with some huge potentials. Consequently, we – as Africans – need   to ask ourselves about the hindrances that stand in our way, and which prevent us from putting into place some African cooperation strategies which must be guided by the logic of South – South cooperation. Whatever the answer to this question is, the present context, imposes on us the re-reading of some postulates. It also requires us to show some modesty, to rid ourselves of the dregs of the Cold War  and its aftermaths, and  make the interests of the African Continent and people a top priority of our continental work.

Having at its disposal some advanced expertise in several sectors such as agriculture, sea fishing, water resource mobilization, renewable energies, health care   generalization, fighting epidemics, and food security, the Kingdom of Morocco  is permanently ready to continue its partnership with its brothers in Africa. It does this on the basis of the belief of common gain and interest, and on the basis of the respect of the brothers’ choices, institutions, sovereignty and territorial integrity. This it also does on the basis of modesty and interchangeable profit.

Honorable President,

Esteemed colleagues,

I am one of those Africans who are fully convinced that ours is the continent of the future and youth. Accordingly, and in order to secure the African ascension, we must learn from history and from the practices of others regarding unity and relations between nations. We must also learn from the exemplary and common exploitation of our resources for the sake of our peoples and the prosperity of our countries.

Thank you for keen attention.