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Moroccan-American Network to Host CEO Summit in Washington D.C. in May

posted on: Jan 22, 2017

Mohamed Hajjam (L) with Congressman Jim Moran during the first Anuual CEO Summit 2013 in Washington DC

By Zainab Calcuttawala

Moroccan World News

The Moroccan-American Network will be hosting their second annual CEO Summit in Washington D.C. this May to foster new business relationships between both shores of the Atlantic Ocean, according to the event’s organizers.

The event, set to take place from the 17th to the 19th of May, will feature the head of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, Ilyas El-Omari as the official guest of honor.

The network is focusing on the northern region for its recent strides in economic development and geographic position linking Europe and Africa, according to Mohamed Hajjam, the president of the organization. The Tangier-Mediterranean Port is also linked to the Norfolk port in Virginia, which signifies the cultural and historical ties between the two cities.

“The idea was to find a partner representing Morocco and present the country from an economic standpoint, so we chose El-Omari, as the leader of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, but also in particular as a businessman,” Hajjam said, referring to the Authenticity and Modernity Party leader’s experience in attracting Chinese investment to the kingdom’s northern reaches.

The forum will focus on attracting small and medium-sized enterprises “to create new opportunities for a better future, together,” its motto states. The twinning of Tangier with Alexandria, Virginia, recently approved by the Department of African Affairs in Washington D.C., will be part of the program as well, in the presence of several diplomats from across the continent.

“Our objective is also to bring awareness to decision makers in Morocco,” Hajjam said in a statement to Morocco World News. “Small businesses owned by Moroccans are thriving in the United States, but bureaucracy and red tape makes it difficult for Moroccan-Americans to invest. The CEO Summit is an idea and platform where Ilyas El-Omari will meet the business community, people in government and present what he sees as an opportunity.”