The seminar comes within the framework of the “Localisation of Migration Policies” project, which is implemented by Migration and Development (M&D), with the support of the French Development Agency (AFD) and the French Agency of Expertise, and in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, the Governorate of the Souss-Massa Region and the Council of Souss-Massa Region.

The forum in Agadir is an opportunity to share ideas and exchange views between experts, political decision-makers, elected officials and members of civil society, in order to evaluate national and local initiatives related to migration and development, while identifying the challenges to be addressed and how to further contribute to community and regional development plans, according to a press release.

“The Moroccan diaspora, numbering between 6 and 6.5 million people, plays a crucial part in the development of Morocco, not only through remittances, but also by transferring skills and expertise,” says a press release on the seminar. To enhance that contribution, the State has established several national scientific, economic, social and cultural national programmes to support the diaspora.

At the regional scale, BAOMs, a leading initiative created by the Association for Migration and Development in the Souss-Massa region, (facilitate) the local integration of Moroccan returnees by providing them with adequate services and orienting them towards local development opportunities’

‘These mechanisms are part of an overall strategy aimed at better integrating the diaspora into the Kingdom's development policies. The Royal Speech of 20 August 2022 emphasised the importance of reinforcing this dynamic by encouraging greater participation of Moroccans in the development of the country at all local levels.