At the initiative of Morocco and in partnership with Niger, Niamey hosted the opening ceremony of a
diplomatic training workshop on Monday, October 14, dedicated to protocol practices and official communication.
For two weeks, nearly 200 Nigerien officials and diplomats will participate in training sessions led by two former ambassadors of Morocco and an international expert from the Moroccan Institute for Training, Research, and Diplomatic Studies (IMFRED).
Driven by the African vision of King Mohammed VI, this initiative illustrates dynamic South-South cooperation based on training, solidarity, and the development of the continent’s human capital.
This capacity-building workshop, the second of its kind, is intended for state protocol officers from the Presidency, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Consultative Council for Restructuring (CCR), and technical ministries.
It aims to provide participants with concrete and appropriate tools to enhance their effectiveness in carrying out their duties and contribute to the increased professionalization of Niger’s diplomatic administration.
Devoted to protocol practices, diplomatic drafting, and negotiation techniques, this training, the result of cooperation between the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Abroad and the Nigerien Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in collaboration with the National Agency for Conference Economy (ANEC), is a continuation of the memorandum of understanding signed on December 26, 2017, in Rabat between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Niger and Morocco.
Speaking at the opening of this workshop, Jaafar Debbarh, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Niger, emphasised the political and symbolic significance of this initiative, which is in line with the Moroccan Sovereign’s African vision focused on human capital development and South-South cooperation.
The Moroccan diplomat indicated that this workshop concretely reflects this royal philosophy, namely cooperation based on trust, the exchange of experiences, and the sharing of knowledge in the service of effective and united African diplomacy.
The initiative illustrates the vitality and excellence of bilateral cooperation between Morocco and Niger,
as well as their shared commitment to human capital development, he said. He also recalled that each year, many Nigerien executives benefit from capacity building programs in Morocco in various administrative, institutional, and technical fields.
For his part, the Secretary General of the Nigerien Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Issakou Souleymane, expressed his deep gratitude to Morocco for its continued support and technical assistance, particularly through the Moroccan Institute for Training, Research, and Diplomatic Studies (IMFRED). He praised the exemplary cooperation, based on historic fraternity and active solidarity, expressing the hope that the expertise and know-how of the Moroccan trainers will inspire our young diplomats in the exercise of the noble and exhilarating profession of diplomacy.
The Nigerien official urged the young diplomats to take advantage of this training experience to build a modern, sovereign diplomacy that serves African development.
He also emphasised that Moroccan-Nigerian cooperation is not limited to the diplomatic field alone: each year, Morocco offers 150 university scholarships, 50 professional training scholarships, as well as numerous advanced training sessions in various sectors such as health, agriculture, defense, security, and
finance.
The Director General of the National Agency for the Conference Economy (ANEC), Commissioner Colonel Abdoul Karim Illo, expressed his satisfaction with the holding of this training workshop, which benefits from the recognized expertise of Moroccan trainers.
He recalled that the Kingdom of Morocco, a brother country and long-standing partner, embodies a protocol excellence that ANEC strives to promote in Niger, stressing that the presence of Moroccan trainers is a living testimony to the strength of fraternal ties and the quality of the partnership between our two countries.
AK/Sf/fss/as/APA