On Tuesday in Rabat, the president of the public prosecution authority, Hicham Balaoui, officiated the opening ceremony for the permanent headquarters of the Association of African Prosecutors.
He was joined by Renson Ingonga, the Kenyan president of the association, among other officials. Balaoui also serves as the association’s secretary-general.
During the event, a convention was signed to permanently transfer the association’s seat from Mozambique to Morocco.
Attendees unanimously highlighted Morocco’s prominent standing across Africa under the wise leadership of King Mohammed VI, and the trust placed in its judicial institutions by various African professional and judicial bodies.
The ceremony was also attended by Mohamed Abdennabaoui, deputy president of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, Abdelatif Amrani, general treasurer of the Kingdom, and several other judicial officials.
The association stated that this meeting reflects Morocco’s ongoing commitment to strengthening African judicial cooperation and consolidating coordination mechanisms among judicial institutions of African countries.
In Rabat, members of the executive committee adopted the association’s work agenda, reviewed proposals to amend its statutes, and discussed annual membership fees.
In his opening address, Hicham Balaoui stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between various police services and African prosecution offices, as well as exchanging experiences and best practices in combating different forms of crime, especially transnational organized crime, corruption, human trafficking, and cybercrime.
In conclusion, participants praised the leading role of the Association of African Prosecutors in strengthening professional cooperation ties among its members. They emphasized the importance of this structure as an institutional framework for dialogue, coordination, and collective action to address criminal justice challenges on the continent.
With the establishment of the permanent headquarters in Rabat, Morocco reinforces its role in continental judicial cooperation. This inauguration also gives new institutional significance to exchanges among African prosecution services, amid rising transnational crime.
