THE AMBASSADOR'S VISITS TO ZAGORA AND AGADIR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 RABAT 000155 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR R/ECA AND NEA/MAG E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID SCUL KPAO KMCA PREL MO SUBJECT: THE AMBASSADOR'S VISITS TO ZAGORA AND AGADIR ¶1. Summary: During January 24-25 visits to the provinces of Zagora and Agadir, the Ambassador called on ranking local officials, met with local civil society leaders, and visited a range of USG-funded projects. The Ambassador and Embassy team found in Zagora a rural and remote province beset by drought and poverty, now betting primarily on tourism to attract investment and generate employment and development. The Agadir visit, during which the Ambassador was accompanied by Minister of Agriculture (and regional council President) Aziz Akennouch spotlighted planned MCC investments to support Morocco,s artisanal fishing industry. In both areas, the Ambassador's trips yielded positive coverage in the national media including an extensive report on Moroccan State TV's Channel 1. End summary. ¶2. The Ambassador and Mrs. Riley, supported by Mission personnel from Public Affairs, USAID, DAO, MCC and the political and economic sections visited the provinces of Zagora in the far southeast of Morocco and Agadir on the south central Atlantic coast January 24-25. Flanked by enormous date palm oases, Zagora is situated at a bend in the great Draa Valley, where it turns abruptly west after a southeast trajectory from the high atlas, eventually ending at Tan-Tan on the Atlantic coast. Agadir, the principal gateway to Southern Morocco, is the hub of Morocco,s agro-industry, and an important fishing port and tourist center. The region's business climate was singled out for praise in USAID,s recent assessment of doing business in Morocco,s regions, and under the leadership of Regional Council President Aziz Akennouch, who accompanied the Ambassador, the region has embarked on an ambitious economic development program. -------------- Zagora -------------- ¶3. Governor Ali Biougnouch, who heads a region that was the last to receive provincial status under the late King, highlighted an ambitious regional development program that has electrified over 98 percent of provincial communities and brought piped potable water to 90 percent of them. Water availability is one of the most urgent issues before the province. The local economy, traditionally based on agriculture, has been stunted by years of drought. The province is now exploring the feasibility of bringing water from the Mansour Eddahabi Dam at Ouarzazate. ¶4. While Zagora is the most prolific producer of dates in the Kingdom, the Governor indicated that years of drought have led the province to increasingly pin its hopes for economic growth on the tourism sector. The beauty of the local oases, flanked by the rugged walls of the Draa Valley and dotted with casbahs (traditional mud fortresses) could attract many more foreign tourists, he opined. Already, he estimated, 60,000 tourists per year visit the province. A number of four- and three-star hotels, along with restaurants and tour operators, have sprung up in Zagora in the past few years. The geographic challenge (Zagora is three hours' drive from Ouarzazate, the nearest international airport) would be overcome if Regional Airlines, an internal carrier, follows through on a tentative plan to establish bi-weekly flight service at Zagora's one runway airstrip which boasts a small but shiny new terminal inaugurated by King Mohammed VI in late 2007. -------------- Building Civic Participation -------------- ¶5. The Ambassador visited the village of Bni Zoli and stopped at the "Bni Zoli Forum for Development and Communication," a non-governmental organization that encourages underprivileged youth in the Zagora area to become more involved in their community. There he met with a group of local youth who benefited from a series of forum workshops last year on the Moroccan electoral process, human rights, religious tolerance, and the political process. The workshops were made possible in part by a grant from the U.S. Embassy's Public Affairs Section in Rabat. Also in Bni Zoli, the Ambassador viewed a brief exhibition soccer match staged by rival girls' teams. The girl's soccer league, managed by the forum, aims to build confidence and self esteem in local teenage girls, funded in part by an Embassy grant. After the match, the Ambassador and Mrs. Riley distributed new shin guards and uniforms to the enthusiastic girls. -------------- Girls' Education -------------- RABAT 00000155 002 OF 003 ¶6. In the adjacent village of Tissergate, the Ambassador visited a girl's home that is part of a network of dormitories created by local non-governmental organizations with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development. Part of the Rural Girls' Scholarship Project managed by the Girls, Educational Support Committee (CSSF) and its local NGO partner, the "Women's Association for Development and Solidarity" (AFDES),the program was developed to address one of the main impediments to girls' education in Morocco: the lack of access to middle school for rural girls whose schools are located far from home. AFDES manages the home in Tissergate, a traditional mud-thatched house structure that currently houses 40 girls. AFDES also manages another girls, home in Bni Zoli. In addition to lodging and food, the association provides tuition support to the girls, and often arranges extra curricular activities during weekends, sometimes along with the home in Bni Zoli. -------------- Income Generation for the Poorest -------------- ¶7. In Asrir, an economically distressed neighborhood on the northern fringes of Zagora city, the Ambassador visited the "Association Salam," a grassroots NGO that aims to better the living conditions of local women and children. Salam hosts projects such as literacy classes, courses in carpet-weaving and other income-generating activities, and training in animal husbandry, sanitation and health awareness. Also in Asrir, the Ambassador and Mrs. Riley visited a kindergarten for local children aged 4 to 6, which frees the children's mothers to pursue remunerative work. They distributed to each child a (privately donated) "goody bag" containing stationary supplies and small toys. (Note: The Association Salam is currently working on a proposal for a grant from the USG. End note.) ¶8. The Governor re-joined the Ambassador for lunch with selected members of civil society (including local NGO activists, International Visitor Program alumni, journalists and teachers) to discuss current challenges and projects in the province. The Ambassador also observed youth activities at the Zagora Youth Center, where he was serenaded by a teen choir. He visited the Youth Center's library and made a donation of books from PAS, including texts from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' book translation program. -------------- Agadir -------------- ¶9. In Agadir, the Ambassador and Mrs. Riley, together with Minister Akennouch, visited a Japanese and Italian-financed prototype of the 20 fish landing sites that will be financed through the small-scale fisheries portion of Morocco,s Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Compact. The Immessouane site, adjacent to one of Morocco,s most picturesque beaches, serves 800 artisanal fishermen operating 200 boats, and has permitted the fishing cooperative to more than double its turnover from 4.6 million MAD to 11.2 million MAD. On site, the Ambassador viewed the varied operations of the fishermen's cooperative, including a small shop and restaurant, and motor repair facility. Fishery officials stressed that the positive experience at Immessouane resulted not just from the Japanese-provided infrastructure, but from subsequent Italian engagement with the cooperative, highlighting the need for sustained engagement to ensure such a project's success. Local officials added that fisheries are just one part of an integrated local development plan that also includes tourism and real estate development. ¶10. Subsequently, the party visited the project site in Tifnit for one of the planned MCC-financed landing sites. The cove currently harbors 450 fishermen operating 169 boats. MCC will invest USD 3.9 million to construct the landing site, less than half the cost of the Immessouane facility. The savings results from discovery that the jetties that figured in the original landing sites Morocco developed (and which constituted 70 per cent of the cost of the project) though providing protection from the seas were actually counterproductive, and rapidly silted up. -------------- Media -------------- ¶11. The Ambassador's visit to both provinces generated positive coverage in the national media. Aujord'hui Le RABAT 00000155 003 OF 003 Maroc, the leading French-language daily published a comprehensive account of the Ambassador's activities in the provinces. State TV Channel One, with the highest audience in Morocco, broadcast an upbeat five minute report on the Zagora stop featuring footage of the Ambassador distributing sports equipment to disadvantaged girls, stopping at the Youth Center, and explaining the USAID grant to support girls' education. A subsequent report highlighted the planned development at Tifnit. ***************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat ***************************************** Riley