Assahafa.com
The Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, represented His Majesty King Mohammed VI on Tuesday in Nairobi at the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Congo Basin Climate Commission (CBCC) and the Blue Fund for the Congo Basin.
Akhannouch was accompanied to this Summit, held ahead of the Donors’ Roundtable dedicated to the Blue Fund for the Congo Basin, scheduled for May 26, 2026, in Brazzaville, by the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali.
This is a high-level meeting that is expected to endorse the resource mobilization strategy as well as the political and technical documents resulting from the preparatory process.
Speaking at the Summit, Akhannouch emphasized that the Kingdom of Morocco will continue to contribute fully so that the Congo Basin Climate Commission establishes itself as an African model of climate governance, collective action, and continental solidarity. He noted that the Congo Basin Climate Commission is the fruit of the visionary leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, alongside His African Brothers, during the African Action Summit held in Marrakech in November 2016, on the sidelines of COP22.
“It embodies Africa’s determination to take its climate destiny into its own hands and to equip itself with innovative regional mechanisms to respond to global challenges,” stated the Head of Government. He recalled that “today, we can commend the significant progress achieved, in particular, the effective establishment of the Blue Fund for the Congo Basin, the adoption of its governance instruments, the strengthening of its strategic partnerships, the consolidation of a portfolio of more than sixty priority projects drawn from the investment plan of the Blue Fund for the Congo Basin, as well as the increased visibility of the Commission on the international stage.”
The Head of Government added that the Kingdom of Morocco is proud to have contributed, as a founding partner, to the emergence of the Congo Basin Climate Commission and the Blue Fund. He emphasized that the Kingdom, faithful to its commitment to active and mutually supportive African cooperation, has supported this dynamic through political advocacy, the realization of the prefiguration study for the Blue Fund, which made it possible to identify an investment plan of more than 200 projects, the payment of its parity contribution to the start-up unit, as well as the sharing of expertise in climate finance, environmental governance, and sustainable development.
“Our conviction is clear: Africa must propose its own solutions, adapted to its realities and driven by its own institutions,” maintained the Head of Government, recalling the strategic importance of the Summit of the Three Basins, held in Brazzaville in 2023, which marked a decisive step in structuring an alliance among the planet’s major forest basins: the Congo Basin, the Amazon, and the forests of Southeast Asia.
The countries that are their custodians must be able to speak with a single voice to defend their interests, promote more equitable climate governance, and mobilize financing commensurate with the ecological services rendered to humanity, Akhannouch said, noting that amidst this dynamic, the Congo Basin Climate Commission is asserting itself as a central pillar of inter-basin cooperation.
Morocco fully supports this strategic convergence, convinced that it constitutes an essential lever to strengthen Africa’s positioning in international negotiations and to advocate for fairer, more predictable financing mechanisms adapted to the realities of forested countries, the Head of Government further stated.
In this regard, the Marrakech Declaration of 2025, he added, through its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework, offers a complementary benchmark to lend credibility to projects, boost investor confidence, and direct financial flows toward sustainable projects that create local value and comply with international standards.
Today’s Summit comes at a decisive moment, that of moving from commitments to investment, and from strategies to concrete results, he specified, noting that the Congo Basin is ready, the projects are structured, credible, and bankable, and the member states now speak with one voice.
The Donors’ Roundtable scheduled in Brazzaville will, in this regard, be a major test of credibility. Its success will depend on our collective ability to maintain strong political ownership and guarantee transparent and effective governance of the Blue Fund, Akhannouch pointed out.
In this wake, he indicated that the Kingdom calls upon technical and financial partners, development banks, climate funds, the private sector, and all stakeholders concerned to fully support the Investment Plan of the Blue Fund for the Congo Basin.
The Donors’ Roundtable dedicated to the Blue Fund for the Congo Basin is a high-level meeting expected to endorse the resource mobilization strategy as well as the political and technical documents resulting from the preparatory process.
Source: map
