continent's regulators, both bilaterally and through bodies such as the association of african central banks, the economic commission for africa, and the african union. areas of cooperation are not limited to the conventional missions of central banks, but include cross - cutting issues such as climate change and gender. ladies and gentlemen, despite the difficult international context, africa is expected to emerge and find its place on the world stage. the african union's 2023 accession to the status of permanent member of the g20, and the recent decision to grant the continent a third seat on the imf's executive board, are but a few signs that africa will ineluctably achieve its rightful status on the international scene. investing in this dynamic in favor of economic and social development remains a medium - and long - term endeavor. in order to rise to the challenge, " africa needs to trust africa ", as his majesty king mohammed vi emphasized in abidjan in 2014, and african countries are called upon to work together for a win - win co - development. as the african proverb goes, " alone, we go faster ; together, we go further ". 4 / 5 bis - central bankers'speeches finally, i would like to wish you every success in the proceedings of this conference, and hope that you will have the opportunity to enjoy the treasures of the pearl of the south, where the sea and the desert blend harmoniously. thank you all very much. 5 / 5 bis - central bankers'speeches

abdellatif jouahri : economic integration in africa - the path to a more prosperous future opening speech by mr abdellatif jouahri, governor of bank al - maghrib ( central bank of morocco ), at the international days of macroeconomy and finance, on the theme " economic integration in africa : the path to a more prosperous future ", dakhla, 22 may 2024. * * * esteemed minister of industry and trade, your excellencies ambassadors, honorable wali of the dakhla - oued eddahab region, honorable president of the dakhla - oued eddahab regional council presidents of the economic and social councils, university presidents, elected representatives and presidents of local authorities, prominent researchers and professors, dear friends and colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, i would like to thank you for accepting our invitation and welcome you to this meeting organized by bank al - maghrib, cadi ayyad university of marrakech and the university of basel in switzerland, in partnership with the dakhla - oued eddahab regional council. it is an annual forum for reflection and debate on mere academic issues that, nevertheless, often have implications for public policy. this year, we are particularly pleased that the conference is taking place in this exceptional city, which testifies to the rapid development of our southern provinces. these represent our country's african depth and link with the rest of the continent. thus, we could not think of a better place to discuss the chosen theme : " economic integration in africa : the path to a more prosperous future ". i would like to seize this opportunity to thank the local authorities, notably the wali and the president of the dakhla - oued eddahab regional council for their support, which has greatly facilitated the organization of this event. i am also delighted by the participation of many brotherly countries and friends of the continent, both at the diplomatic level, through their excellencies the ambassadors present here with us, as well as public decision - makers and academic researchers. ladies and gentlemen, surely you would agree that the importance of the issue we are debating today needs no justification. economic integration fosters structural transformation, economies of scale, trade intensification, value chains development and the emergence of sufficiently large markets to attract investments. 1 / 5 bis - central bankers'speeches the continent, however, is poorly integrated. the share of intra