Developing while preserving resources, a challenge with variable geographical dimensions

What do Portofino and Marrakech have in common? A priori nothing, apart from being regularly chosen by travellers in search of the dolce vita as an exotic holiday destination. But under the blazing sun of the Italian coast, as in the red city, development issues are emerging. And each of these cities is seeking to enhance its assets by attracting major investors. Since then, Portofino has recovered a certain forgotten splendour. Some of its legendary hotels and villas overlooking the bay have been bought by a large luxury group, attracting businessmen and international celebrities to this very chic Italian seaside once again. The challenge: to preserve its identity. And identity is also a question in Morocco, which seems to be reconnecting with its Africanness; a way of revaluing a somewhat forgotten history, that of its first Berber inhabitants or its Gnaoua heritage - a culture that originated in trans-Saharan slavery from Ghana and Guinea to the Maghreb. A liberating approach of which art is the first standard.

It is a momentum that the whole of sub-Saharan Africa is also seeking to develop, as it is still looking for a processing industry model that is better balanced between producer countries and international groups. The aim is to break the "curse of raw materials", a dogma that condemns resource-rich underdeveloped countries to economic stagnation despite their wealth.

As we can see, development while preserving resources is a challenge with varying geography and economy.