Canary Islands and Morocco Grow Closer
Bilateral meeting
The governments of the Canary Islands and the Souss‑Massa region of Morocco held a bilateral encounter on Monday to strengthen cooperation in a range of fields. This was the second institutional, business, academic, innovation and sporting mission between the two territories.
At 09:30 a.m., Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo met with Karim Achengli, President of the Regional Council of Souss‑Massa, at the Hotel Santa Catalina. The talks continued the work started in January 2026 in Agadir, where a Canary delegation led by Clavijo signed ten cooperation agreements and a memorandum of understanding with Souss‑Massa.
The agreements aim to boost institutional, economic, university, scientific, technological and sporting collaboration.
Canary Islands delegation
- Migdalia Machín, Councillor for Universities, Science, Innovation and Culture
- Octavio Caraballo, Vice‑councillor of the Presidency’s Cabinet
- Luis Padilla, Director General for Relations with Africa
- Lluís Serra, Rector of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC)
- Francisco García, Rector of the University of La Laguna (ULL)
- Pedro Ortega, President of the Canary Confederation of Entrepreneurs (CCE)
- Additional representatives linked to the institutional and sectoral agenda of the mission
Full plenary session (from 10:00 a.m.)
Both delegations—governmental, business, university, innovation and sport—convened to:
- Review the agreements signed in Agadir
- Present progress achieved so far
- Discuss new lines of cooperation
Speakers included President Clavijo, President Achengli, Beatriz Calzada, President of the Port Authority of Las Palmas, the CCE president, the rectors of ULPGC and ULL, and Juan José Arencibia, President of the Inter‑Island Football Federation of Las Palmas.
From the Souss‑Massa side, speakers were:
- Driss Boutti, President of the Souss‑Massa Confederation of Entrepreneurs
- Said Dor, President of the Souss‑Massa Chamber of Commerce
- Nabil Hmina, Rector of Ibn Zohr University
At 12:30 p.m., Presidents Clavijo and Achengli will hold a joint press conference.
Business‑to‑Business meetings
In the afternoon, B2B sessions between Canary and Souss‑Massa companies took place from 16:00 to 19:30. Pablo Martín Carvajal, Executive CEO of Proexca, led the meetings, which aimed to:
- Identify economic cooperation opportunities
- Foster business contacts
- Promote the internationalisation of Canary companies
- Explore joint projects in strategic sectors
At the start of the business programme, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Proexca (the public agency of the Canary Islands Government) and the Souss‑Massa Regional Investment Centre. The MOU is intended to encourage reciprocal investments, facilitate the establishment of companies, and position the Agadir‑Canary Islands corridor as a strategic hub for economic exchange.