US-Africa Business Summit in Marrakech Seeks to Create Sustainable Partnerships

Marrakech will host the US-Africa Business Summit 2022 next week. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Marrakech will host the US-Africa Business Summit 2022 next week. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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US-Africa Business Summit in Marrakech Seeks to Create Sustainable Partnerships

Marrakech will host the US-Africa Business Summit 2022 next week. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Marrakech will host the US-Africa Business Summit 2022 next week. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Morocco’s Marrakech city is scheduled to host the US-Africa Business Summit 2022 between July 19 and 22.

The event, which will be held under the patronage of King Mohammed VI, will bring together more than one thousand participants, including entrepreneurs and prime ministers.

It aims to create resilient and sustainable partnerships among key decision makers in the public and private sectors in the United States and Africa.

It is expected to provide an opportunity for various organizations to explore new horizons to enhance the economic partnership, while underlining the next phase of the partnership, which mainly concerns US-African regional trade, energy, digital transformation, and trade finance.

The summit, themed “Building Forward Together” will explore a renewed commitment by both public and private sector stakeholders to building stronger US-Africa trade, investment, and commercial ties as they emerge from unprecedented health and economic challenges.

Its highlights will include plenary sessions and sector-focused panels as an exceptional line up of more than 100 business and government leaders will discuss industry-tested solutions to today's business challenges in agribusiness, finance, energy, health, infrastructure, ICT, security, and more.

Session topics will include “Building a Just Transition to Net Zero in Africa,” “Innovation for Agriculture Transformation,” and “SMEs: Fueling the Recovery and Economic Growth,” to name few.

It will also include an opening session, public meetings and dialogues.



China Seeks to Bolster Ports and Aviation Hubs in Western Regions

The city skyline is reflected in a pool left on the dry riverbed of the receding Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record-low water levels during a regional drought in Chongqing, China, August 20, 2022.  (Reuters)
The city skyline is reflected in a pool left on the dry riverbed of the receding Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record-low water levels during a regional drought in Chongqing, China, August 20, 2022. (Reuters)
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China Seeks to Bolster Ports and Aviation Hubs in Western Regions

The city skyline is reflected in a pool left on the dry riverbed of the receding Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record-low water levels during a regional drought in Chongqing, China, August 20, 2022.  (Reuters)
The city skyline is reflected in a pool left on the dry riverbed of the receding Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record-low water levels during a regional drought in Chongqing, China, August 20, 2022. (Reuters)

China said on Sunday it would launch 15 measures to bolster the development of its western provinces with the construction of logistical infrastructure such as ports and aviation hubs.

The General Administration of Customs said the measures would enhance the integration of rail, air, river and sea links in China's west, state media reported.

The measures are to include enhancing international aviation hubs in cities including Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, Xi'an and Urumqi, while developing comprehensive bonded zones, and integrating these with ports and other transport links.

A number of ports would also be built and expanded.

China has long sought to bolster the economic heft of its western regions, which have markedly lagged coastal provinces.

China's western regions comprise around two-thirds of the country's land area and include regions such as Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Xinjiang and Tibet.

China's Politburo last year called for a "new urbanization" of western China to revitalize rural areas, expand poverty alleviation efforts and strengthen energy resources. Efforts have also been made to increase linkages to Europe and South Asia through trade corridors including rail freight routes.