Ms. Elsa Maria dos Santos Amado Vaz, accompanied by her delegation, during a meeting with the Director of the Regional Investment Centre in Laâyoune, Mohamed Jaaifar, examined the investment opportunities and qualifications, as well as the infrastructure and various productive sectors that characterise the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region, in addition to the achievements and projects realised thanks to the Development Model for the Southern Provinces launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in 2015.
During this meeting, the volume of investments that these provinces are witnessing in many promising sectors was highlighted, as well as investment opportunities in the main economic areas in this region, which include, in particular, sea fishing, agriculture, tourism, and renewable energies, in addition to major infrastructure projects and the potential available in the field of transport and communications to connect the region nationally and internationally.
This visit was an opportunity for Ms. Elsa Maria dos Santos Amado Vaz to hold two meetings with the Wali of the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region, Governor of the Laâyoune province, Abdeslam Bekrate, and the President of the Laâyoune Commune, Moulay Hamdi Ould Errachid, during which the developmental leap that the region has witnessed at all levels and scales was emphasised.
In a statement to the press, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe reiterated her country's firm position in favour of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom and its sovereignty over all its territory, and that the Sahara is an integral part of the Kingdom of Morocco, highlighting that this support was confirmed through the opening of a Consulate General in Laâyoune in 2020 and the appointment of a Consul General there.
She pointed out that the major projects that the region is witnessing reflect the embodiment of the strategic and forward-looking vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, which is being implemented in a balanced manner across various infrastructure, highlighting that this visit enabled the discussion of ways to develop bilateral cooperation in many fields.
On the same occasion, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe and her accompanying delegation visited a group of development projects in Laâyoune, which concerned, in particular, the City of Trades and Skills, and the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy.
