By Errachid Montassir

Delegates and tech leaders attended a conference on ecosystem innovation in Casablanca.
Photo: E. Montassir/HAF

Start-Up Nation Central—a non-profit that promotes Israeli ecosystem innovation around the world—kicked off its first-of-its-kind conference in Casablanca focused on developing innovative solutions to common challenges shared by Israel and Morocco. The ‘Connect to Innovate’ conference held in May aims to bring the longstanding cultural relationship shared by the two nations into the 21st century by centering ties on innovation and technology.

Thirteen partnership agreements signed during the conference are dedicated to developing innovative solutions to common challenges shared by the two countries.

A delegation of dozens of Israeli government and high-tech leaders and organizations traveled to Casablanca for the three-day event. There were plenty of other  agreements between Israeli and Moroccan entities to pave the way for a surge of B2B and G2G activities, particularly in the fields of agrifood, water, and climate technology, logistics, and human capital.

As the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) Country Manager of the USAID Farmer-To-Farmer (F2F) Program, I presented the main aspects of this agricultural program that connects U.S. and local expert volunteers, who serve to enhance the agricultural field in Morocco by working directly with host organizations in three regions (Marrakech-Safi, Beni Mellal-Khenifra and Oujda). HAF helps them develop their work by sharing expertise and assisting them with business plans in order to access bigger markets. The F2F program is also dedicated to contributing to economic growth, food security and environmental protection, as well as connecting different cultures towards development.

Errachid Montassir, Country Manager for USAID’s Farmer-to-Farmer program, meets tech leaders in Casablanca.