ASCAME was one of the partners of the 4th edition of the Fès Meknès Economic Forum, organized by the CCIS Fès-Meknès and the Foundation Forum Économique Fès-Meknès from December 5 to 7, 2024. The forum, whose main objective was to promote innovation and sustainable development in the Fès-Meknès region, brought together business leaders, academic experts, political decision-makers and Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry, such as the CCI of Tunis and the CCIS du Cap Bon (Tunisia), the International Chamber of Commerce of Morocco and the CCIS du Mersin (Turkey).
Under the theme ‘Horizon 2030: Economic Dynamics’, the forum focused on Morocco’s most recent stage, marked by the necessary transition to a more efficient, equitable and environmentally friendly development model. More specifically, the forum focused on the role of territories in the development of countries, exploring the levers for better articulation between local and national dynamics, and enhancing the potential of each region as an engine for growth and innovation.
Among this year’s main objectives, two stand out. On the one hand, to identify the levers of sustainable and inclusive growth, focusing on innovation, digitalization and ecological transition. On the other, to promote the potential of the Fès-Meknès region and reinforce its attractiveness to national and international investors. As several sessions of the forum have shown, the Fès-Meknès region, with its rich history, culture and economic assets, is a fertile testing ground for these new development models.
Digital transformation
The forum featured four to debate and analyze current challenges and business opportunities in emerging sectors. The first one was focused on digital transformation. This workshop addressed current issues such as digital infrastructures and ecosystems, the digital transformation of businesses, the development of smart territories and digital public services, as well as the human capital and digital skills required for this transformation.
One of the speakers at the workshop was Mr. Hakan Sefa, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Mersin (Turkey) and Chairman of ASCAME’s Innovation and TIC Commission, who spoke about ‘Building bridges for innovation and digitization in the Mediterranean’. Here are some of the main insights from his speech: “Innovation and digitization require working together. Our universities, R&D institutes, innovation centers and start-ups need to cooperate closely. We need to integrate ICT into all sectors for effective innovation, added value and productivity”. On behalf of ASCAME, Mr. Hakan Sefa emphasized: “ASCAME plays a crucial role in the Mediterranean by promoting cooperation in the field of ICT and digital transformation in the region. Technology is the most vital area that requires our collaboration and cooperation, as it has the power to transform all sectors”.
In addition, Mr. Mohammed Ourdedine, Secretary General of ICC Morocco, presented an initiative dedicated to the digitalization of international trade in Morocco (DiGiTrade Morocco). This initiative, launched by ICC Morocco, aims to accelerate the development of a harmonized and digitized global business environment, as a key catalyst for dynamic, sustainable and inclusive growth. It engages the public sector in advancing regulatory and institutional reforms, and mobilizes the private sector on standards harmonization, adoption and capacity building.
Energy transition
The aim of this workshop was to promote energy efficiency and renewable energies to reduce energy dependency, improve business competitiveness and contribute to the ecological transition. During this session, key factors of the energy transition were analyzed, such as the declination of the national energy efficiency strategy, incentive mechanisms, technological innovations in the energy field, available sources of financing, and the impact of the energy transition on the economic performance of companies.
Commercial revitalization and the territories of tomorrow
This workshop was an excellent opportunity to rethink commercial models for revitalizing city centers and historic areas such as the old medinas of the Fès-Meknès region, by integrating new technologies, improving the customer experience and enhancing cultural and commercial heritage.
Two speakers closely associated with ASCAME took part in this session. On the one hand, Ms. Loubna Karroum, Managing Director of Kardev, who spoke about ‘Attractiveness, Identity and Territorial Development’. Ms. Karroum emphasized the need to map all the economic potential of the Fès-Meknès region. In this sense, she pointed out the features to be done: “First, map the region’s potential. Secondly, communicate the region’s advantages and implement initiatives to attract investors. Thirdly, plan for the future, beyond 2030, with very specific actions”.
On the other hand, Mr. Moez Hassen, General Manager of the Cap Bon Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Tunisia), gave a lecture entitled ‘Ancient medinas and cities between authenticity, modernization and promotion of commercial activities in Tunisia’. Mr. Hassen underlined the importance of Tunisia’s medinas as key issues for revitalizing trade and attracting investment to the country’s territories: “Even if medinas suffer from several problems today (for example, the deterioration of buildings and the presence of mass tourism, which jeopardizes their sustainability), they have become key issues in terms of urbanization and the preservation of Tunisia’s culture. They remain an example of the balance between tradition and modernity”. Mr. Hassen added: “Faced with the current challenges of increasing urbanization and mass tourism, we need to rehabilitate the medinas and enhance the investment opportunities they offer through new marketing strategies and digitalization.
Performance of the agro-industrial sector
The agro-industrial sector has become a key sector in the Fès-Meknes region’s economy, focusing on innovation, adding value to local products, integrating 4.0 technologies and sustainability. Speakers at the workshop explored the challenges of modernizing production tools, optimizing transformation processes, adopting smart technologies, enhancing the value of terroirs and accessing international markets. Here are just some of the key thoughts shared at this fourth workshop:
- Mr. Sébastien Windsor, President of Chambres d’Agriculture de France and President of the Normandy Regional Chamber of Agriculture: “To meet the major challenges of climate change in the Mediterranean, we need to work and cooperate together. The current situation opens up new opportunities for cooperation”.
- Mr. Tawfik El Achchabi, Director of Production Sector Development at Morocco’s Ministry of Agriculture, who presented Morocco’s green strategy for agriculture (Plan Maroc Vert), which pursues four main objectives: “Reducing dependence on imports (1 major objective: to produce 70% of all valorized production in Morocco by 2030), developing agricultural sectors, modernizing marketing channels (more modern and efficient distribution chains), and improving quality and disseminating innovation and green-tech”.
- Mr. Youssef Lakbida, Director General of Industry at the Moroccan Ministry of Industry and Trade: “It is essential to reinforce food security, stimulate research and sustainable development, and develop human capital by setting up support programs”.
- Mr. Mohammed Ourdedine, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce ICC Morocco, who referred to the ICC Agribusiness Initiative with the launch of the first agribusiness hub in ICC Italy: “The ICC Agribusiness Initiative offers support to companies in the sector to help them meet agribusiness challenges, by providing them with a platform for engagement, partnerships and advocacy. The idea is to have a single agri-food platform open to companies, sector professionals and institutions”.
In his turn, Mr. Luis Miranda, ASCAME’s Project Manager, presented the STAPLES Project, part of the PRIMA Program, in which ASCAME is participating as a partner, and in which some ASCAME members in Spain (CCI Seville), Morocco (CCIS Fès Meknès and CCIS Casablanca) and Egypt (CCI Alexandria and FEDCOC) will play an important role in supporting field research activities during its implementation. Mr. Luis Miranda underlined the importance of this research project in the agri-food sector, born after the disruption of the international grain chain due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, aimed at better understanding stress factors and external shocks in the global grain value chain. The aim is to develop resistance strategies with innovative solutions and improve the decision-making capacities of public and economic players to anticipate and cope with these stress factors in the future.
The STAPLES Project will focus general research on countries in the MENA region -a region with a high dependency on cereal imports- and in particular, information gathering on the ground in Morocco and Egypt, with a view to seeking feasible local solutions.