Rédaction Africa Links 24 with CHANNAJE
Published on 2024-03-10 23:13:00
The President of ASMEX, Hassan Sentissi El Idrissi, accompanied by Abid Kabadi, President of the Morocco-Canada Club, and Sonia Mezzour, President of the Financing, Insurance, and Monitoring Commission, received Isabelle Valois, Ambassador of Canada to Morocco, on March 7, as announced in a statement by the association.
During this meeting, the representatives of ASMEX emphasized the importance of the Canadian market for Moroccan exporters who continue to show great interest in it. However, the trade exchanges between the two countries still fall below the existing and untapped potential on both sides, the statement points out.
In this context, the same source continues, a Morocco-Canada Club was created in 2017 by ASMEX to raise awareness among Moroccan operators about the opportunities offered, to support and guide them in order to better position themselves in this market, as reminded by the same source.
The signing of a partnership agreement with the Canadian government agency responsible for Foreign Trade, Investment, and Trade Sustainability (TFO Canada) in 2021 strengthened ASMEX’s action plan towards the Canadian market as it supported a population of Moroccan companies and cooperatives run by women to develop their exports to this important North American market, the statement indicates.
The partnership with TFO Canada has materialized through the organization of training and skills development sessions on all aspects of international trade in favor of companies and cooperatives from various regions of Morocco; participation in SIAL Montreal in 2022 and SIAL Toronto in 2023; a mission of Canadian buyers to Morocco which resulted in the signing of orders for several Moroccan products and the expression of interest in new products; and web conferences on the development of Moroccan franchises in Canada, and compliance with standards.
Furthermore, the representatives of ASMEX expressed the desire to sustain the partnership with TFO Canada and to expand it to new entities interested in the Canadian market and new product niches.
Investment Charter: a favorable system for foreign companies
The representatives of the Canadian Embassy were also made aware of the opportunities for Canadian companies to seize in African markets following the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. Relocating their production to Morocco could open up pathways for them to benefit from the tariff preferences provided by the agreement. Likewise, the new investment charter enacted by Morocco offers several incentives for foreign companies wishing to invest in the country.
Accompanying the mastering of distribution channels in Canada, strengthening promotional actions, and meetings between Moroccan exporters and Canadian buyers should also contribute to raising the level of exchanges between the two countries.
In this regard, the Canadian Ambassador was asked to accompany ASMEX in concluding new agreements with other Canadian programs supporting entrepreneurship and the development of actions that fit within sustainability goals with the aim of directly influencing the creation of valuable and permanent jobs and improving the capacities of small structures from various regions of Morocco to be competitive in the Canadian market.
Finally, ASMEX expressed its willingness to conclude a partnership contract between the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the Moroccan Institute of Standardization (IMANOR), and other partners to support Moroccan companies interested in the Canadian market in terms of standardization.
Read the original article(French) on L’Opinion
