Deputy Speaker, Mr. Hassan Benomar, Receives Several Representatives of African Parliaments Participating in the Regional Meeting for Africa-Middle East Parliamentary Day in Marrakech

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Hassan Benomar, held on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, in Marrakech, talks with several representatives of African Parliaments on the sidelines of the Regional Meeting for Africa and the Middle East, hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco from 1 to 3 November 2022, in cooperation with the Open Government Partnership (OGP).

In this context, Mr. Hassan Benomar discussed with Mr. Moses F. Moyo, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia, ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, especially in the parliamentary field. On this occasion, he expressed the firm will of the Kingdom of Morocco to strengthen and consolidate cooperative relations with Zambia.

For his part, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia expressed his gratitude to His Majesty King Mohamed VI and the people of Morocco for the support and assistance provided to his country to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

Equally, Mr. Hassan Benomar held discussions with the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Mozambique, Mr. Helder Ernesto Injoyo, on ways to further strengthen cooperation ties between the two countries.

In this regard, Mr. Benomar reiterated the importance that the Kingdom of Morocco attaches to South-South cooperation, under the enlightened vision of His Majesty King Mohammed Vi, while stressing the great experience Morocco has in several sectors, including agriculture, water management, and renewable energies.

The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Mozambique commended the ties of friendship between Mozambique and Morocco, noting that cooperation with the Moroccan House of Representatives is undoubtedly beneficial to its Mozambican counterpart in the parliamentary field.

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives also held a meeting with Mr. Mahaman Laoual Bako Galadima, who is a member of the National Assembly of the Niger, where they discussed issues of common interest.

During this meeting, which featured the presence of Ms. Nadia Thami, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Benomar expressed the Kingdom of Morocco's willingness to share its experience with Niger in various fields, namely in agriculture, water management, and renewable energies.

In the same vein, the Moroccan official explained that our country has made significant progress in terms of women's representation. In this regard, he stated that women hold 95 out of 395 seats, that is to say nearly 25% of the composition of the House of Representatives.

For his part, the Nigerian Representative stated that this meeting offers the opportunity to advance bilateral relations between the two friendly countries, calling on Moroccan businessmen to take advantage of the investment opportunities in Niger.

In the same vein, Mr. Benomar met with Mr. Hafiz Muhammad, a Member of the Nigerian National Assembly, and reviewed the major projects launched by the Kingdom, including the generalization of social protection, water management and investment, which were emphasized in the speech of His Majesty King Mohammed VI in the opening of the Parliament’s second legislative year 2022-2023.

During this meeting, which also featured the presence of Ms. Nadia Thami, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Nigerian MP called for the opening of a direct airline connecting Kano, Lagos and Casablanca, in order to bridge the distance between the two countries and consolidate their economic exchanges.

Mr. Hassan Benomar also held talks with Mr. James Githua, a Member of the National Assembly of Kenya, during which the two sides reviewed the most important challenges facing the African continent, stressing the importance of strengthening and consolidating cooperation between the two friendly countries.

During this meeting, Mr. Benomar highlighted the achievements made by the Kingdom of Morocco in the field of women's representation, highlighting the relevant provisions outlined in the 2011 Constitution.

For his part, the Kenyan MP welcomed the quality of the friendly relations between the two countries, calling for the opening of a direct airline between Nairobi and Rabat or Casablanca, to strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries and promote tourism.

At the end of these meetings, Mr. Hassan Benomar made a statement to the national media outlets, in which he stressed that the talks represented an important opportunity to strengthen bilateral cooperation with African parliaments participating in the Regional Meeting for Africa and the Middle East, organized by the Kingdom of Morocco in cooperation with the Open Government Partnership (OGP). In the same vein, he added that it was also an opportunity to learn about African national experiences and to exchange experiences and expertise.

Mr. Benomar also presented the main recommendations of the Regional Meeting, including the call for the consolidation of democracy in the African continent, the importance of partnership with civil society organizations, and the promotion of the digitalization process, which remains one of the most important means to ensure the openness of parliaments and facilitating access to information.