Under the wooded ceiling of the Palais des Hosts, in Rabat, French ministers and bosses took turns, under the eye of the King of Morocco Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron, to solemnly seal 22 agreements in various areas. Fouzi Lekjaa, Moroccan Budget Minister, was one of the signatories, signing with Rémy Rioux, director general of the French Development Agency, a memorandum of understanding in the field of water. Also president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) since 2014, Fouzi Lekjaa is the main architect of Morocco’s joint candidacy, with Spain and Portugal, for the organization of the 2030 World Cup, which must be confirmed on the 11 December at the FIFA Congress. For L’Express, he looks back on the historic visit as well as the prospects for economic partnership, particularly in the field of infrastructure.
L’Express: What is your view on the signing of economic agreements and President Macron’s state visit to Rabat?
Fouzal Lekjaa: Beyond the agreements, President Macron’s visit to Morocco, at the invitation of His Majesty the King, marks a new stage, and the logical continuation of exceptional relations which have always linked our countries. Throughout History, this relationship was not only commercial but also cultural and civilizational. The economic dimension is already present today: Morocco is France’s first African partner. With the momentum given by these signatures, the objective is to encourage the construction of mixed champions between Moroccan and French companies, capable of conquering the African continent. The development potential is enormous. In telecommunications, the banking sector, the financial sector, civil engineering, construction, clean energy, water, desalination… Complementarity will allow us to succeed together. These projects take place in a context which confronts Morocco and France with quite complex challenges such as the situation in the Middle East or the Sahel. We must combine our strengths to cope.
Morocco, very well established on the continent, does not seem to really need France, which has very bad press in several African countries.
We must move away from the logic of “who needs the other”. The most important thing is to use the strengths of one to fill the shortcomings of the other and form mixed entities capable of exporting their expertise, to the African continent, the European continent or elsewhere. Morocco has this role of relay between the two continents, which is not new: the kingdom has always been a passage for trade, the gateway which ensured these commercial, economic but also civilizational transfers. The particularity of this visit is to build the milestones of a future relationship, particular, exceptional and strategic, which imposes on future generations a different state of mind in the way of acting.
”
The Mediterranean region is not only there to manage problematic situations linked to immigration.
France has just organized the Olympic Games. You are the bearer of the candidacy for the 2030 Football World Cup of Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Are you expecting transfers of skills in this area?
The joint candidacy of Morocco, Spain and Portugal is special since it is the candidacy of two continents and three countries. Geographically, it is a magnificent triangular. You can see a match in Madrid and on the same day, another in Rabat. It’s an hour’s flight between each capital. There is civilizational continuity on this Mediterranean rim. My goal is to show European and African youth that success could be collective. The Mediterranean region is not only there to manage problematic situations linked to immigration. Our ancestors built together and it is possible to do it again today. It is a collective responsibility of the States of Europe and Africa. France will obviously help us to succeed in the meeting.
We are meeting French business owners as part of the state visit. A World Cup is a very complex system, which involves all areas. Some of the projects or strategic conventions that were signed on Monday fit perfectly into this process, such as the high-speed line between Casablanca and Marrakech to provide continuity between Tangier and Marrakech. A spectator will be able to travel to Madrid or Marrakech in a few hours by fast train. That’s complementarity!
The president of the Moroccan football federation Fouzi Lekjaa (center), accompanied by his Portuguese and Spanish counterparts during the signing of the letter of intent for the 2030 World Cup.
© / AFP
What are the main challenges for Morocco in organizing this event?
In terms of sports infrastructure, we are almost in the same configuration as for the World Cup in France in 1998. We will have to build a single large stadium in Casablanca and upgrade the existing stadiums. The No. 1 challenge of this organization for us, on the Moroccan side, is to succeed 100% in the legacy. In a major sporting event, the degree of evaluation is the legacy. We want to use the World Cup to accelerate the development process that has been launched more than twenty-five years ago, to meet Morocco’s needs in 2030. We must complete the extensions of our airports by the end of the decade. , with or without the World Cup, because the flow of tourists experiences double-digit growth every year. The same goes for highway infrastructure or our energy projects.
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Bruno Le Maire [NDLR : alors ministre de l’Economie] visiting Morocco, accompanied by several business leaders. We are not starting from scratch. There are several French companies that work with us and will support us. A World Cup is a major event, more than 10 million spectators and 48 teams, 102 matches, with all the requirements of mobilization, infrastructure, organization, security, flow management. It’s twice the 1998 World Cup with 24 teams. In addition, in 2030, it will be the centenary of the competition!
At the time of the earthquake in September 2023, many comments affirmed that there was a very modern, very developed facade of Morocco and another which benefited less from it. Since then, have there been massive investments of which you are already seeing the fruits?
The management of the earthquake was a success, using a Moroccan-Moroccan approach which was, from the start, supervised and led personally by His Majesty the King. Moroccan solidarity was cited as an example. A year after the earthquake, the homes that were partially affected were demolished, and we began a new configuration of the infrastructure. The inhabitants of Al Haouz today, even if you give them the opportunity to stay in Marrakech for free, they will never leave the area. It’s their world. Contrary to what one might say, it is a very rich ecosystem, in natural and tourist assets, etc. Moreover, the 12 million tourists who go to Marrakech do not only stay in the city and visit the Al Haouz region. We must not go into a logic of comparison, taking as a reference skyscrapers facing a region rich in natural heritage.
.