Despite the severe earthquake that struck Morocco on the night from Friday to Saturday, a trade mission with Moroccan government officials commenced this morning. They will be visiting several Dutch companies this week. Out of the sixteen expected attendees, three had to stay home because some of their family members were among the victims.
“Most attendees come from Agadir, which is approximately 250 kilometers from the epicenter. One of the participants mentioned that she woke up during the earthquake and ran into the street. “On Saturday morning, when we heard the news, we wondered if the mission should still proceed,” says mission leader Núria Vlonk Cunha Soares of the Netherlands-African Business Council (NABC). “The fact that these people, right after such an intense experience, are still willing to come to the Netherlands for the trade visit shows how important it is to them.”
Morocco is administratively divided into regions, and attendees on this mission represent the Souss-Massa region, with Agadir as its capital. The purpose of the visit is to persuade Dutch businesses to invest in the region. “Agadir is already well-known among Dutch companies because many of them are involved in horticulture,” Vlonk Cunha Soares explained. “During our visit, we will showcase how horticulture works in the Netherlands, how logistics are organized, and we will also introduce them to companies in other sectors they might be interested in, particularly in water management and energy.”
