Prominent personalities and members of the board of directors of the prestigious Brenthurst-Oppenheimer Foundation paid a visit, while in Morocco, to the Regional cooperative of “Beni Antar” in the town of Ounagha (Essaouira province), to discover the value of the argan tree, this endemic tree whose dynamics and legitimacy of all its virtues have been enshrined by a World Day, celebrated on May 10 each year by the United Nations.
This visit offered the opportunity to the guests of the city of Alizés, including Mr. Jonathan Oppenheimer, The Former president of Nigeria Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo, The Former president of Liberia Ms. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and The Ex-President of Sierra Leone Mr. Ernest Bai Koroma, to discover closely this priceless immaterial patrimony of the Humanity and this undeniable richness of which this part of the national territory abounds.
During this visit, Mr. André Azoulay, Advisor to His Majesty the King and President-founder of the Essaouira-Mogador Association, as well as Ms Selma El Antari, presented to the members of the Foundation's board of directors, extensive explanations on the various stages of production and marketing of argan oil, from the collection of the fruit to the bottling of the oil, as well as on the multiple virtues of the derivatives of this product, particularly in the cosmetic field.
Emphasis was also placed on the socio-economic contribution of this vital industry, which is no longer demonstrated at the level of the province of Essaouira.
On this occasion, the members of the Foundation showed a keen interest in this secular heritage, which is one of the riches of the province of Essaouira, notably through their spontaneous interaction with the explanations that were provided.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of Morocco in South Africa.
