King Mohammed VI and President of the Republic of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, chaired, on Wednesday at the presidential palace in Juba, the signing ceremony of nine bilateral agreements in different areas of cooperation between the two countries.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Interior minister, Mohamed Hassad, delivered a speech, in which he underlined that in accordance with the vision of the king concerning South-south cooperation and as part of the fraternal relations between Morocco and South Sudan “Morocco is committed to sharing its experience in terms of urbanization, and urban development, in order to support the building of a new capital city” of South Sudan.

The achievement of this great project will require, firstly, the completion of technical and financial feasibility studies, which the Kingdom of Morocco has accepted to finance up to the amount of 5.1 million US dollars, the minister said.

He added that the preliminary studies will focus on urbanization as well as on social, economic, and environmental aspects, noting that these studies will lead to a draft master plan and a technical and financial set up and an achievement calendar.

Secondly, the Kingdom of Morocco will provide assistance to the Republic of South Sudan in the different phases of the project’s implementation, including the call for financial and technical partnerships, and the development of South Sudanese expertise and know-how, Hassad noted.

He added that as for governance, the Delegated Project Management will be given to the Company Al Omrane, on the Moroccan side, under the supervision of an Executive Committee, appointed by HM the King, the Committee will offer the required competencies for the success of the project.

The signed agreements are meant to strengthen cooperation relations with countries of the continent and mirror the commitment of King Mohammed VI to consolidating South-South cooperation. They are:

1. An agreement on the building of the new city of Ramciel, signed by Interior minister, Mohamed Hassad, Housing and Urban Policy minister, Nabil Benabdallah chairman of the management Board of Al Omrane Group, Badre Kanouni, and South Sudanese minister for the Presidency, Mayiik Ayii Deng.

2. A general cooperation agreement, signed by Foreign minister, Salaheddine Mezouar, and minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of South Sudan, Deng Alor Kuol.

3. An agreement on investment promotion and protection, signed by Economy and Finance minister, Mohamed Boussaid, and South Sudanese minister of Finance and Planning, Stephen Dhieu Dau.

4. An agreement on avoidance of double taxation and the fight against tax evasion in respect of income tax, signed by Economy and Finance minister, Mohamed Boussaid, and South Sudanese minister of Finance and Planning, Stephen Dhieu Dau.

5. A Memorandum of Understanding in the field of agriculture, signed by Agriculture and Fisheries minister, Aziz Akhannouch, and South Sudanese acting minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Kornelio Kon Ngu.

6. A Memorandum of Understanding on industrial cooperation, signed by Industry, Trade, Investment and Digital Economy minister, Moulay Hafid El Alamy, and South Sudanese minister of Trade and Industry, Moses Hassan Ayet.

7. A Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in mines, signed by director general of the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines, Amina Benkhadra, and director general of South Sudan Mineral Development Directorate, Thongjang Awak Thongjang.

8. A cooperation agreement in the field of vocational training, signed by director general of the Office of professional training and labor promotion, Larbi Bencheikh, director general of the Moroccan agency for international cooperation, Mohamed Methqal, and Juac Agok Anyar, an official at the ministry of General Education of South Sudan.

9. A Memorandum of Understanding between the Moroccan employers’ association (CGEM) and South Sudan's Business and Employers Federation (SSBEF), signed by CGEM chairwoman, Miriem Bensalah-Chaqroun, and SSBEF chairman, Ayii Duang Ayii.

Source :Morocco World News