Marrakech, SPA:
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia participated in the 'Media Forum on the African Continent: Image and Investment Opportunities,' which was organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) under the patronage of Morocco's King Mohammed VI, and was concluded today in Marrakech, Morocco.
The speech of Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Adel bin Zaid Al-Toraifi was delivered on his behalf by Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Information for External Media Dr. Abdulmohsen bin Farouk Al-Yas, in which he stressed the importance of cooperation and solidarity to highlight the real positive image of communities and nations.
He also said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has historic ties with the countries of the African continent, adding that these relations have been developing steadily. 'The OIC countries have attached great importance to this forum, which is held based on the recommendation of OIC Ministers of Information'.
The three-day forum discussed the role of the media in projecting a positive image of Africa. It also discussed ways of advancing the image of Africa in African and international media and the role of the media in overcoming stereotypes about Africa restricted to images of wars, poverty and hunger. It also improved the image of the continent by highlighting its capabilities as well as natural and human resources.
It should be mentioned that the organizing of the media forum on Africa is one of the proposals of the 9th session of the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers held in Libreville, Gabonese Republic in April 2012. That conference adopted a resolution calling for the convening of a media forum targeting the media to discuss investment opportunities in Africa and highlight its huge latent potentials.