Queen Máxima in Morocco: March 20 – 22

As a special advocate of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for inclusive finance for development, Her Majesty Queen Máxima arrived in Casablanca in the afternoon of Monday March 20 for a four-day working visit.
Upon her arrival the Queen was welcomed by Said Ahmidouch, Governor of the Casablanca-Settat region.
Queen Maxima started the first day in Morocco with field visits in some small business where people purchase essentials. In these small business the entrepreneurs are helped by “Chari”, an e-commerce app founded in 2020 that aims to help the small business from French Speaking Africa and “to meet the needs of these entrepreneurs by ensuring them a regular supply of consumer products and offering them financial services”.
During the visit the Queen met with the entrepreneurs and with Chari’s co-founders to be informed about the services provided by the e-commerce app and how the entrepreneurs use it.
The first day in Morocco ended with a meeting at the headquarter of Bank of Africa where the Queen was reunited with Othman Benjelloun, the bank’s Chairman and CEO .
On Tuesday March 21, the Queen started the second day in Morocco with several working meeting in Casablanca. Queen Maxima met with private sector leaders in a roundtable meeting focused on “business opportunities to deepen digital payments, fintech solutions”.
Then the Queen went to the headquarter of AXA Assurance of Morocco where she met with Managing Director Meryem Chami and attended a meeting with private sector leaders. Afterwards Queen Maxima was reunited with Nathalie Fustier, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Morocco, to discuss about the inclusive financing progress of the country.
The second day ended with a field visit in Rabat, the capital of Morocco.
Today, Wednesday March 22, last day of the working visit to Morocco, Queen Maxima was busy with several meetings in Rabat.
The Queen met with the Minister of Economy and Finance, Nadia Fettah, to discuss about the access to financial services and the promotion of inclusive finance. Then Queen Maxima was reunited with Morocco’s Secretary General of the Government, Mohamed El Hajoui, to talk about “regulatory actions that could help enhance financial inclusion”.
Afterwards the Queen had a meeting with the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch and Ghita Mezzour, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform. The meeting was focused on “ways to develop the country’s financial inclusion, particularly of women, the rural population and small traders” and the “the importance of digital payments to bring people into the formal financial sector, as well as help support social assistance programs”.
Later the Queen met with Abdellatif Jouahri, Governor of the Central Bank of Morocco.
The last event of the visit was a meeting with Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem, sister of King Mohammed VI.

In a bilateral meeting with UNSGSA Queen Máxima and Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch on Wednesday, the two leaders spoke about the importance of digital payments to bring people into the formal financial sector, as well as help support social assistance programs. pic.twitter.com/ZsvfTCXGff

— UN SG's Special Advocate Queen Máxima (@UNSGSA) March 22, 2023

Filed under Morocco, The Netherlands
Tagged Lalla Meryem of Morocco, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.