Encuentros B2B entre Estados Unidos y Marruecos

In mid-week, the Commercial Service of the US Consulate General in Casablanca organised multi-sectoral B2B meetings between a delegation of twelve US companies and a group of different actors of the Moroccan business community, as a reminder of the good trade relations and with the aim of promoting synergies of cooperation between US and Moroccan economic actors.

Following the signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which came into force in 2006 and is the only trade agreement signed by the United States with an African country, approximately 120 US companies are operating in the Kingdom, according to the US Department of Commerce. On the occasion of the FTA's fifteenth anniversary, David Greene, Chargé d'Affaires at the US Embassy in Morocco, highlighted Morocco's economic potential. "We discussed how this FTA has helped increase trade opportunities between the United States and Morocco, creating thousands of jobs for the benefit of both countries," he said. 

The visit of the American companies to the Kingdom comes under the Trade Winds Middle East and Africa programme, a trade project led by the US government interested in Moroccan economic opportunities. This programme is in charge of organising business trips to several countries in the MENA region so that different US companies can establish collaboration links with companies in these regions that operate in similar sectors such as agri-food, new information and communication technologies, security, defence technologies and energy.

Jessica M. Gordon, Director of the U.S. Commercial Department in the Dallas Fort Worth, Texas metropolitan area, explained that "a call has been launched to select U.S. companies interested in expanding their business in Morocco and seven other countries in the MENA region". "Before taking part in these B2B exchanges, companies are selected according to different criteria. We prioritise small and medium-sized companies and study their development potential in the country. Based on this potential, the companies are directed to the country that best suits their business," he added. 

Among the US companies sent to explore business opportunities in Morocco are IPP Global, which offers solutions to fuel needs for electricity and monetises flared natural gas (LNG), MLtwist and Palila Software, which specialise in data analytics. 

In addition, some fifty Moroccan companies and government representatives participated in these B2B meetings, such as Hill International, Visa, Dabadoc, the Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency, etc. The host of the event, Lawrence Randolph, Consul General of the United States in Casablanca, shared his enthusiasm for the meetings, as it was the first meeting to be held since the beginning of the pandemic. 

David Greene, Chargé d'Affaires at the US Embassy in Rabat, underlined the dynamism of the current business climate. "Businesses must now act to create opportunities for trade, investment and job creation to raise the overall standard of living. Morocco-US trade relations are the best springboard for such engagement," he stressed. He also described "the ties between Morocco and the United States as a platform of excellence for business opportunities". 

In recent months, the US government has deepened its engagement with the North African country, as well as its support for the Western Sahara issue. During former President Donald Trump's term in office, the US administration supported Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara, which led to closer relations between the American country and the African continent. 

In fact, Joe Biden's administration has supported a number of Moroccan economic projects in the Saharawi territory, included in the US-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), which has provided $100,000 in funding for the DakhlaConnect and LaâyouneConnect digital investment platforms. 

Thanks to this partnership, Morocco has access to the large US market, and US companies benefit from Morocco's position as a warehouse and gateway to West Africa, and thus to the entire continent.