Israeli and Moroccan officials on Monday signed a series of agreements on technology, agriculture, climate, and other fields that "could benefit both countries" at a forum hosted by Start-Up Nation Central, which promotes Israeli innovation worldwide.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
No fewer than 13 memorandums of understanding were inked on the opening day of the conference, titled "Connect to Innovate," which took place in Casablanca, Morocco.
Endorsed by President Isaac Herzog, the event was attended by dozens of Israeli businessmen, entrepreneurs, investors, opinion leaders, and lawmakers, including Innovation, Science and Technology Minister Orit Farkash-Hacohen and Israeli Ambassador to Morocco David Govrin.
The Moroccan delegation included senior adviser to King Mohammed VI of Morocco Andre Azoulay, Digital Transition and Administration Reform Minister Ghita Mezzour, and Industry and Trade Minister Ryad Mezzour.
Participants also discussed the possibility of employment of Moroccans in Israeli high-tech companies through remote work. Hasson explained that the solution would benefit both Israel and Morocco, as Rabat is concerned about the human capital leaving the country Jerusalem with the lack of manpower in the field.
The three-day conference will include professional workshops, lectures, business panels, pitch sessions, and roundtable discussions dedicated to each one of the four main focus topics: agrifood-tech, water-tech, energy, climate-tech, and supply chain logistics.
Hasson said, "For the last few decades innovation has been the driving force of the Israeli economy, leading to consistent growth, raising its standard of living, and opening new opportunities on the diplomatic front. As the world moved from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based one, we invite our regional and global partners to take part in the journey and benefit from the lessons we learned on the path to becoming the Start-Up Nation.
"We believe that Morocco, under the leadership of HM Mohammed VI, is uniquely suited to partner with Israel in blazing a trail to a new MENA region, one that is connected by a genuine desire for peace and prosperity. This conference is a pivotal point as we embark on a joint innovation journey between Israel and Morocco toward economic prosperity."
Mezzour concurred.
"Morocco and Israel have started the path of a win-win collaboration in mutually beneficial areas. As envisioned, we have built a solid and dynamic economic partnership that aims to be innovative in tune with global technological changes. This forum will make it possible to further explore avenues for development in promising areas, namely: AgriFood-Tech, EnergyTech, LogisticTech and WaterTech.
"These are projects that subscribe to Morocco's prioritized approach to economy and industry and are perfectly aligned with Morocco's New Development Model, which promotes sovereignty, innovation, R&D and innovative entrepreneurship," he said.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
