The Global Green Event opened on Wednesday 22 November 2023 at the Mohammed VI Exhibition Centre in El-Jadida, Morocco. This environmental trade fair opens at a time when North Africa, the Horn of Africa and southern Africa are facing unprecedented water stress.
According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), some 83% of people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are living in conditions of extreme water stress, with more than 80% of water reserves used for irrigation, livestock, industry and domestic needs. This situation is set to worsen between now and 2050.
انطلقت اليوم أشغال النسخة الثالثة عشر من معرض الحدث الأخضر العالمي GLOBAL GREEN EVENT بالجديدة، تحت الرعاية السامية لصاحب الجلالة الملك محمد السادس نصره الله.
وشهد اليوم الأول من المعرض، الذي تترأس فعالياته وزارة الإنتقال الطاقي والتنمية المستدامة، pic.twitter.com/Iyqi5mXgNr
— MTEDD وزارة الانتقال الطاقي والتنمية المستدامة (@MTEDDMAROC) November 22, 2023
Alternative solutions, including the reuse of treated wastewater and desalination, are on the agenda for discussion at the Global Green Event (formerly Pollutec Maroc), the 13th edition of which opened on Wednesday 22 November 2023 in the coastal city of El-Jadida. Organised under the aegis of the Moroccan Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, this international trade show welcomes at least 10,000 trade visitors and at least 300 companies showcasing their expertise in ecological transition and sustainable development.
The exhibitions cover at least 10 themes, including water and polluted water. In recent years, this issue has come to the fore throughout North Africa, against a backdrop of water stress that is also affecting the Horn of Africa, the Sahel and southern Africa.
Renewable energies are also at the heart of the discussions, as the Cherifian kingdom wants to increase the share of renewable energies in its electricity mix, focusing in particular on solar and wind power. In 2021, the share of clean energy in Morocco’s electricity mix was 37.6%, or 4,050 MW according to official figures. Several African countries are following the same path. Egypt and South Africa, for example, are speeding up their energy transition.
A new challenge has now been added to the production of renewable energies: green hydrogen and its derivatives, in particular ammonia for agriculture and sustainable aviation fuel. In the opinion of several energy specialists, this emerging sector should accelerate the ecological transition after 2030. Exhibitions at the Global Green Event will also focus on waste management, sustainable cities, green buildings, industrial pollution and other pollution risks.
Jean Marie Takouleu
