This September, Gordon Rankine was invited to chair the inaugural Port Finance International Conference held in Casablanca, Morocco under the auspices of the Morocco’s Ministry of Equipment, Transport and Logistics. The two day conference attracted 175 delegates from all over the world, and offered an interesting and comprehensive list of presentations from experts on the development opportunities of the future, within Morocco’s and Africa’s global maritime sector.

The Keynote Address – “Morocco’s Ports – A Transport and Trade Gateway to Africa” was given by His Excellency Mr Aziz Rabbah, Minister of Equipment, Transport and Logistics, Morocco and His Excellency Mr Clive Alderton, the British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco gave the Welcome Address.

Further conference details can be found at portfinanceinternational.com.Morocco was chosen to host the conference due to its strategic geographic position, its growth potential, and the strategies set up by its government to encourage investment. Key topics covered at the conference were the financing and development of the region’s ports (including PPP) and long term strategic initiatives – including Morocco’s position as a logistics/connectivity hub between Europe and West Africa.