Morocco

Millennium Challenge Corporation Press Release Washington, D.C. July 22, 2022 The Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) Chief Executive Officer, Alice Albright, departed Marrakech, Morocco today after leading the U.S. delegation at the 14th U.S.-Africa Business Summit — an event to catalyze increased two-way trade and investment as well as strengthen partnerships with governments, multilateral organizations, and private sector partners across the African continent. Albright was joined at the three-day Summit by senior representatives from 10 departments and agencies contributing to Prosper Africa, the U.S. government’s signature initiative to increase trade and investment between African nations and the United States. “The United States is committed to working together with our African partners to advance our shared vision of a better, greener, healthier future,” said Albright during the Summit’s opening ceremony. “This means creating 21st century jobs for Africa’s youth, bolstering two-way trade and investment, investing in critical infrastructure, and building long-term partnerships across the continent. Since launching Prosper Africa two years ago, the U.S. government has already supported 800 two-way trade and investment deals in 45 countries, worth an estimated $50 billion dollars.” Albright also spoke about the changing global development environment and how the U.S. must strengthen its partnerships to ensure people on both sides of the Atlantic can create a better life for their families and communities. “From the health and economic impacts of the pandemic to the climate and food security crises, our world is at an inflection point,” said Albright. “I am very proud to lead the U.S. delegation and be a part of Vice President Harris’s announcement of the December 2022 Africa Leaders Summit. Now, more than ever, we must leverage the full suite of U.S. government tools and harness the power of the U.S. private sector to strengthen our partnerships with …

Prosper Africa Media Advisory July 19, 2022 Hon. Alice Albright, CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), will lead the U.S. Prosper Africa delegation to the U.S.-Africa Business Summit, July 19-22. The event is hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa and the Kingdom of Morocco and aims to advance trade and investment between African countries and the United States. The U.S. delegation will include senior government officials and leading U.S. investors that represent over a trillion dollars in assets. During the forum, the United States will demonstrate Prosper Africa’s private sector-driven approach—connecting dynamic U.S. and African companies looking to do business with one another, and global investors seeking the long-term returns offered by Africa’s fast-growing markets. The delegation will engage broadly to catalyze greater investment in Africa and advance the new Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, which was recently launched by President Biden and the G7. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has committed $1.1 billion in Morocco, of which they will showcase their newest $460 million Morocco Employability and Land Compact; the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) will announce new commitments to advance the development of information and communications technology, clean energy, and healthcare infrastructure across the continent; The U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) will highlight the central role of African small and medium-sized enterprises in fueling the continent’s economic growth and recovery; and the Prosper Africa Chief Operating Officer will announce new funding opportunities and deals closed. The delegation will include: Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer, Millennium Challenge Corporation Enoh Ebong, Director, U.S. Trade and Development Agency Travis Adkins, President and CEO, U.S. African Development Foundation Investors and fund managers from the Casey Family Programs, San Francisco …

Press Release United States Africa Command June 30, 2022 Two U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer aircraft from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, conducted a Bomber Task Force mission to Morocco and Mauritania on June 30, 2022. The mission, which lasted more than 25 hours, supported the culminating live fire exercise for African Lion 2022, and then went on to support counter illicit maritime tracking efforts in Mauritania before returning to Texas. Over Morocco, the B-1B aircraft were joined by Royal Moroccan Air Force F-16s and F-4s to conduct an interoperability demonstration including the employment of an inert weapon from a B-1B as part of exercise African Lion 22. African Lion is U.S. Africa Command’s premier annual exercise, involving 7,500 service members from U.S. and partner nations. The exercise bolsters interoperability among partner nations and supports U.S. military readiness to respond to crises in Africa and around the world. After supporting African Lion, the B-1Bs flew south to Mauritania, where they worked with the Mauritanian Coast Guard to identify and track illegally operating vessels off the coast, such as those conducting illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing. Illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing depletes fishers throughout Africa’s coast countries, threatens maritime security, and endangers the African economies that rely on the ocean for their food and trade. U.S. Africa Command assists African partner nations’ efforts to safeguard continued, sustainable use of maritime resources and enable maritime trade. Mauritania and U.S. Africa Command have a longstanding relationship that includes bilateral cooperation, including this Bomber Task Force mission as well as a similar mission that took place in February 2022. This type of collaboration builds shared maritime domain awareness that allows our partners to better target those areas for law enforcement actions. U.S. Strategic Command bomber forces regularly conduct combined theater …

May 12, 2022: The following statement was released by the Foreign Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS following today’s meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco: The Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS reconvened in Marrakesh, Morocco, today at the invitation of Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. The Ministers welcomed the first Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS meeting to be convened in Africa and reaffirmed their shared determination to continue the fight against Daesh/ISIS through both military and civilian-led efforts contributing to the enduring defeat of the terrorist group. Together the Ministers emphasized the protection of civilians as a priority and affirmed that international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, as well as relevant UN Security Council resolutions, must be upheld under all circumstances. The Ministers affirmed that ensuring the enduring defeat of Daesh/ISIS in Iraq and Syria remains the number one priority for the Defeat Daesh/ISIS Coalition. They stressed that despite significant setbacks suffered by Daesh/ISIS’ leadership over the recent past, the terrorist group continues to conduct attacks in Iraq and Syria and represents an ongoing threat, as shown by the large-scale attack against the Al-Sinaa detention facility in northeast Syria in January 2022. The Ministers reiterated the importance of allocating adequate resources to sustain Coalition and legitimate partner forces’ efforts. Civilian-led efforts, including prevention, stabilization, countering terrorist financing, counter narratives and foreign terrorist fighter prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration are increasingly necessary to achieve the lasting defeat of Daesh/ISIS. The Ministers emphasized the need to enhance civilian-led counterterrorism capabilities in Iraq. They also stressed the need to ensure sustainable long-term solutions …