This situation enabled to demonstrate the important economic and industrial potential enjoyed by the country and revealed Moroccan skills in the area of innovation, said El Otmani, who was speaking at the opening of the 4th meeting of the board of directors of the Moroccan Agency for the Development of Investments and Exports.

During this meeting, which was chaired by the Head of Government and dedicated to highlight the achievements of the Agency and the prospects to help attract investment and develop exports, Mr. El Otmani expressed his pride in the continuous flow of foreign investments during the pandemic, which testifies to Morocco's attractiveness in the area of investment and the capacity of the national economy to absorb the negative impact of the crisis, says a press release from the department of the head of government.

On this occasion, Mr. El Otmani referred to all the exceptional measures and procedures taken by the government, under the directives of HM King Mohammed VI to face the Covid-19 pandemic and contribute to the economic recovery, mentioning, in this regard, the signing of the Pact for economic recovery and employment which enshrines the commitment of all stakeholders to giving new momentum to the national economy, in addition to the creation of the Mohammed VI Fund for investment.

At the international level, the Head of Government recalled the Kingdom's involvement in the initiative of the World Trade Organization (WTO) "investment facilitation for development" in June 2020, as well as the conclusion of an agreement partnership with the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, which offers guarantees to Moroccan and British companies.

El Otmani also shed light on the official recognition of the United States of America of the Moroccanness of the Sahara, which will allow American companies to invest in the southern provinces of the Kingdom.

The Head of Government also referred to the entry into force of the agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area at the beginning of the year, which will strengthen the Kingdom's African policy led by HM King Mohammed VI and enable the country to achieve economic integration with sisterly African countries while offering national companies more opportunities to access new markets.

He also welcomed the consecration of Tanger Med as the leading container port in the Mediterranean basin in 2020 and its significant improvement in the world ranking, by positioning itself now 35th out of 500 container ports, after being ranked 46th a year earlier.

This credibility and leadership in the field of logistics will be "put to the benefit of our African brothers, especially after the completion of the Dakhla-Atlantic port project, which will make the Atlantic coast in the south of the Kingdom a maritime destination for economic and continental integration, as underlined in the speech delivered by His Majesty King Mohammed VI on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the Green March, he said.

During this meeting, the members of the Board of Directors followed a presentation by the Acting Director General of the Agency on the activities report for the year 2020.

The Board also followed a presentation on the draft annual report on the situation of investment and exports for the year 2019.

At the end of its work, the Council approved the Agency's action report for 2020, the closing of the accounts for 2019, the Agency's action plan and its budget for 2021, in addition to the annual report on the situation of investment and exports for 2019.

The meeting took part in presence of the minister of Industry, Trade, Green and Digital Economy, as well as representatives of the various concerned ministerial departments, organizations and institutions.