Rabat Jewish leader: You can’t have prosperity without peace, stability
Morocco is a bridge to Middle Eastern and Near Eastern investment to Africa
By ALAN ROSENBAUMDavid Toledano, president of the Moroccan Association of Building Material and a Jewish community leader in Rabat
In a wide-ranging interview at the virtual UAE-Israel Business Summit, David Toledano, president of the Moroccan Association of Building Material and a Jewish community leader in Rabat, said that business prosperity and peace are inextricably linked.Speaking with Mohamed Zainabi, editor-in-chief of the Moroccan newspaper L’observateur Du Maroc & d’Afrique, Toledano related that the long-standing links between Israel and Morocco were best expressed in the meeting between Amir Peretz, Israel’s economy minister, and his Moroccan counterpart. At the outset of the meeting, related Toledano, Peretz suggested that the two speak in Moroccan Arabic rather than English.Morocco is a bridge to Middle Eastern and Near Eastern investment to Africa, said Toledano.“Morocco was one of the first countries to invest and become an effective presence in Africa,” he noted.He added that Israel also has a strong process on the African continent in education, training, water and agriculture, and suggested that Morocco can be an excellent hub for investment in Africa.“Africa is the future and is the home of 1.3 billion people. It’s time for everyone to help and raise this continent,” said Toledano.He also pointed out that Morocco can become a significant air travel hub for Israelis traveling to Africa.Morocco itself can benefit from Israeli expertise in water and hi-tech industries, said Toledano, noting that water issues in Morocco are becoming more pressing and need to be addressed.Toledano said that there are many potential areas of cooperation between the two countries, including hi-tech, water, agro-industry, tourism, and fish farming.“I hope that we will be an example for other countries to expand the peace process, and I am confident that Morocco will have a special place in this picture,” concluded Toledano.