Business leaders and government representatives from the United States and Morocco are convening today at Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta for the second annual U.S.-Morocco Trade and Investment Forum.

Building on the success of the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement that went into effect in 2006, as well as the US-Morocco Strategic Dialogue launched in 2012, the forum aims to strengthen business ties between the two nations and offers the chance to explore unique commercial opportunities for US companies in Morocco and its networks throughout Africa.

“The US and Morocco have a special relationship that dates back to 1777, when we became the first country to recognize the newly independent United States,” said Morocco’s Ambassador to the US Rachad Bouhlal. “Good friends make good business partners, and we are thrilled to bring our second annual trade and investment forum to Atlanta.”

“Morocco is the only African country with which the U.S. has a free trade agreement,” added Jean AbiNader, executive director of the Moroccan American Trade and Investment Center. “This makes it the ideal gateway to African, European, and Middle Eastern markets, offering US investors and companies significant opportunities in a stable and thriving business environment.”

Organized by the Moroccan Embassy in Washington, this year’s conference will feature sessions on doing business in Morocco, and business-to-business meetings focusing on renewable and hydrocarbon energies, aeronautics and automotive manufacturing, agribusiness and water management, and banking and financial services.

In the past ten years, Morocco has gained traction with investors around the world thanks to its geographic location, growing economy, political stability, and infrastructure. In 2013, Morocco became the second biggest destination for foreign direct investment in Africa, and is itself the second largest African investor on the continent. In 2014, CNN named Casablanca a “finance hub of the future,” and The Wall Street Journal reported that Morocco is among the top ten frontier markets—and the only one in the Maghreb—most favored by foreign corporations. Morocco also consistently gains favorable ratings from Fitch Ratings, the World Bank, and other rankings of good places to do business.