President of the Global Policy Institute and Bay Atlantic University Political Science professor Paolo von Schirach is currently in Morocco on a multi-city tour, holding a series of talks in an effort to strengthen relations and mutual understanding. As a guest of the Moroccan government, and accompanied by senior diplomatic officials, he has met with education, business, and political leaders, to engage on a wide-ranging array of topics, from economics to energy, and several things in between. This is Mr. von Schirach’s second trip of this nature, his first having garnered the current invitation.
Mr. von Schirach began his trip in world-famous Casablanca, with Mr. Chakib Alj, President of the Moroccan National Association of Employers, and senior staff at their headquarters. The MNAE held a discussion on the current state of the Moroccan economy, the business climate, and the leading sectors of the local economy for foreign investment.
From there, the delegation moved to the capital city, Rabat, where Mr. von Schirach was invited to the Moroccan parliament to meet with Ms. Nadia Bouaida, Chair of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Affairs Committee. Following the meeting, he was ushered to the campus of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University for a tour with Mr. Malik Abaddi, the Chief of Staff of the Dean. Talks were held with faculty members from the Government, Economic, and Social Sciences departments, in addition to Ms. Rachid Benlabbah, Professor of International Relations, and President of the Institute of Africa Studies associated with the university. Mr. von Schirach was also able to meet Mr. Karim El Aynaoui, Executive President of the Policy Center for the New South, located on the same university campus. The discussions covered Moroccan education policies, investment opportunities in Morocco, and the role of Moroccan banks in financing economic development projects in sub-Saharan Africa.
Mr. von Schirach then moved on to the smaller city of Dakhla. Located on a peninsula, near the coast of the western Sahara desert, Daklha maintains a population of nearly 250,000 residents. There, our distinguished professor met with the Governor of the region, the Mayor of the city, and the General Manager of the Investment Promotion Authority for the Dakhla Region. This delegation held talks on the strategic plan for the region, which includes the construction of a new mega-port facility that will serve as the trade hub for West Africa. The emissaries provided Mr. von Schirach with detailed briefings on new wind and solar energy investments, high-yield farming technologies, and a number of major green hydrogen projects now underway in the Dakhla region.
Mr von Schirach has expressed many thanks to the government of Morocco for their hospitality on this current trip. His students at Bay Atlantic University are eagerly awaiting his return to the classroom where they too can hear all the details of this exciting excursion.
