The city of Dakhla in Morocco and the American city of Columbus, in the state of Ohio, sealed a strategic partnership on Wednesday, by signing a twinning agreement. This agreement, intended to promote bilateral trade in several key sectors, marks an important step in strengthening relations between the two cities and, more broadly, between Morocco and the United States.
The signing ceremony, held in Dakhla, was chaired by Erragheb Hormatallah, president of the Dakhla Municipal Council, and Andrew Ginther, mayor of Columbus and president of the United States Conference of Mayors. Also present were the Wali of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region, Ali Khalil, as well as the mayor of Arlington in Texas, Jim Ross, and several Moroccan and American elected officials.
During his speech, Andrew Ginther expressed his satisfaction at visiting Dakhla for the first time and having the opportunity to discover the cultural richness and dynamism of this region of southern Morocco. He praised the enlightened vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI in terms of the development of the southern provinces, in particular through large-scale projects.
This agreement paves the way for fruitful cooperation between Dakhla and Columbus in various fields, such as culture, education, sustainable development, and the economy. According to the signatories, this partnership will allow the two cities to share their best practices and explore common projects that will benefit their respective populations. Cultural exchange and environmental governance are among the priorities identified by both parties.
The President of the Dakhla Municipal Council, Erragheb Hormatallah, for his part stressed that this twinning agreement is part of ongoing efforts aimed at strengthening partnership relations between Morocco and the United States. He insisted that this partnership will encourage the development of socio-economic projects in Dakhla, while strengthening cooperation in areas such as education, tourism and the organization of joint events.
On the sidelines of this signing, the American delegation followed a presentation on structuring projects in the Dakhla region, given by Mounir Houari, director of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab Regional Investment Center. He notably highlighted projects such as the Dakhla Atlantique port, the commercial zones of Bir Gandouz and El Guerguarat, as well as the West Africa Free Zone. These initiatives demonstrate Dakhla’s ambition to become a leading economic hub in West Africa.
This twinning agreement reflects the common desire of the two cities to strengthen their ties and promote constructive exchanges in a spirit of mutual respect and lasting partnership.
