Address by Mr. Rachid Talbi ELAlami Speaker of the House of Representatives at the first Korea-Africa Summit
Your Excellency Mr. Yoon Suk Yeol, President of the Republic of Korea,
Your Excellency Mr. Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and Chairman of the African Union,
Excellencies,
Heads of State,
Prime Ministers and Ministers,
Distinguished Ambassadors,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am particularly honoured to take part in this first Korea-Africa Summit, held in Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea, a distinguished friend and partner of the Kingdom of Morocco.
Allow me, Mr. President, to convey to Your Excellency the warm greetings of His Majesty King Mohammed VI - may God assist him - for the invitation extended to the Kingdom of Morocco to participate in this Summit, as well as His Majesty’s thanks and appreciation for your initiative to convene this important Summit. I also wish to convey His Majesty’s brotherly thanks and consideration to His Excellency Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, Chairman of the African Union and President of our sister nation, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania - a country with which the Kingdom of Morocco has bonds of kinship, brotherhood and neighbourliness, in addition to history and a common culture. It is a matter of pride, for the Kingdom of Morocco, that this first Summit is being held while Mauritania is chairing the African Union, which is another testimony to Your Excellency’s constructive initiatives as Chairman of the African Union.
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The theme of this first Korea-Africa Summit, namely The Future We Make Together: Shared Growth, Sustainability, and Solidarity both reflects and enhances the common ambition of the African continent and the Republic of Korea to promote development and progress, and to work jointly to tackle the challenges facing the international community. Regrettably, those challenges are getting more complex and widespread, ranging from geopolitical and security issues to climate disruptions and their severe repercussions, especially on African countries, which are only negligibly responsible for global warming, since they account for less than 4% of all greenhouse gas emissions.
These challenges, and others, are weighing heavily on a large number of countries on the African continent. They are hindering economic and social development efforts and constitute a burden for the public treasury. They also cause despair and frustration, especially among African youth, who yearn for a better life and for dignity, even as they see the prosperity enjoyed by young people in other continents.
While Africa is no longer an afflicted continent - given that it has been witnessing profound political, institutional and economic change, together with major transitions - development indicators on income, poverty, infrastructure, and access to services in Africa are still below those registered at international level.
And yet, this is hardly an inescapable destiny. Our continent has tremendous potential, including enormous young human capital as well as huge and strategic primary mineral resources, not to mention vast fertile lands, since Africa is home to an estimated 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land. In addition to that, the continent's marine resources constitute strategic food reserves and constitute a promising blue economy sector for a number of activities, including services and transportation.
These resources require mechanisms, financing, and skills that can turn them into a source of wealth for the achievement of the desired African revival. Given its history, its trustworthy partnerships, its neutrality and its diplomatic ethos, the Republic of Korea is in a position to contribute to that revival, through partnerships that go beyond the bilateral level and extend to the multilateral and the continental.
Needless to say, this Summit is a starting point for achieving such a goal.
Africa needs investment, skills and the transfer technology. In all of these areas, Korea has significant capabilities. Whether in industry, new technology, artificial intelligence, trade, or transportation, Korea can contribute a great deal, through partnerships with Africa and a win-win policy that looks to the future rather than simply restricting cooperation to material gain.
It is a fact that Africa - a continent that is yet to be fully developed - needs major transformations in terms of domestic and cross-border infrastructure, industrialization, and food and energy production from non-polluting sources. In all of the above areas, the Republic of Korea has the expertise and the technology that can help fulfil these ambitions.
Today, different international interests are competing for Africa. The Korean-African partnership complements the continent’s other partnerships, which we respect and value. We also believe the image of the Republic of Korea in Africa, its remarkable success story, the speed with which it has achieved its technological, scientific and economic emergence, and its firm commitment towards the stability, territorial integrity and national sovereignty of African countries are both incentives and drivers for the success of the fresh momentum given to African-Korean cooperation.
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Kingdom of Morocco, which has cordial ties as well as various cooperation and trade relations with the Republic of Korea, takes pride in the solid, diversified bonds uniting it to the vast majority of African countries. Since the accession of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to the throne in 1999, my country has signed more than a thousand cooperation agreements and protocols with another forty African countries, bringing the total number of agreements signed by the Kingdom with African sister nations to more than 1,500. This significant number of agreements attests to Morocco’s sincere, firm and purposeful commitment to inter-African cooperation.
This commitment is not new. It is one of the hallmarks of the Kingdom’s time-honoured history, traditions and culture. It was further enhanced during African countries' struggle for independence and also at the dawn of the national independence movement, when His late Majesty King Mohammed V - may he rest in peace - convened the Casablanca Conference in early January 1961, during which the “Charter for a New Africa” was adopted. That conference sought to pool the continent's efforts in order, first, to ensure the independence of the remaining African countries and, second, to achieve African unity. That process led to the setting up of the Organization of African Unity.
Linking the present and the future to the past - given that the latter is a living history - and since the year 2000, His Majesty the King, may God help him, has actively sought to launch several large-scale development initiatives, together with his brothers, the African Heads of State, based on a long-term vision that seeks the emergence of a new Africa: a strong, bold Africa that defends its interests.
Being aware of the pivotal role of agriculture and of sustainable development in the continent’s comprehensive development process, His Majesty the King, working with a number of African Heads of State, has seen to it, since 2016 and the Climate Summit in Marrakesh, that several initiatives be launched for the benefit of the continent, including the African Agriculture Adaptation initiative (AAA).
Morocco engaged in advocacy work to place Africa at the centre of global climate concerns. Thus, three commissions on the climate and sustainable development in Africa were set up (the Sahel region commission, the Congo Basin commission, and the small island states commission).
Alongside this advocacy work, Morocco has been actively seeking to ensure that African agriculture is not only sustainable and highly productive, but that it also generates income and jobs which guarantee a dignified life, in addition to contributing to food security.
On a different level, we should point out the strategic importance of the Morocco-Nigeria Gas Pipeline project, which aims to contribute to the development of 13 African countries, providing them with a vital resource for progress: energy.
This project fits with the international initiative announced by His Majesty in November 2023, which - given the inadequacy of basic infrastructure in the African Sahel countries - seeks to enable these landlocked countries to have access to the Atlantic Ocean, put an end to their isolation, and implement major cross-border projects that connect Africa to the world, and involve various economic stakeholders in this ambitious development project.
All of these projects target lofty humanitarian objectives more than commercial ones. They attest to a desire to empower African peoples and uphold their right to development and to benefit from industrial, technological and scientific progress, in addition to ensuring access to basic services.
No doubt that this vision, which is rooted in solidarity, and these values, which are meant to help achieve shared progress, will contribute to the emergence of Africa, the promising continent, the continent of the future. The world needs to set right many misconceptions about Africa, the more so as it is the continent of opportunity, of young human resources, and of enormous potential. Africa has every right to achieve development which, in turn, contributes to stability, particularly in an international environment characterized by conflict and trends which undermine coexistence.
In such a context, Morocco remains committed to consolidating the special cooperation it enjoys with Korea and seeks to take it to a higher level by opening up broader prospects. My country is convinced that the African-Korean partnership is a crucial driver for the continent’s progress, for global stability, and for the achievement of international justice.
Thank you Mr. President.
Thank you for your kind attention.