Morocco becomes Africa’s new automotive manufacturing hub

Morocco is currently Africa’s first passenger car manufacturer as the country surpassed South Africa as the biggest exporter of passenger cars on the continent with US$7 billion exports made in the car industry at the end of 2018.

Morocco’s automotive industry is growing exponentially each year with car sales exceeding 160,000 units in 2021, and creating over 220,000 direct jobs.

According to several international experts Morocco’s auto industry is set to contribute to as much as 24% to the Moroccan GDP by 2022.

As of 2021, new passenger vehicles (PCs) recorded an increase of +10.77% with 115,611 units sold, transforming Morocco into a leading automotive manufacturing hub in Africa.

Despite the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis, the industry has gradually recovered this year, selling around 400,000 cars to Europe, with France, Spain, Germany, and Italy among its top exporters.

The Financial Times reported that Marc Nassif, managing director of Renault in Morocco, the biggest manufacturer in the country, stated that local suppliers provide the French auto company with automotive components for its vehicles, such as seats and axles and other essential parts.

He estimated that local components constitute 60% of the final product and predicts the number to rise to 65% in the near future.

As for the country’s infrastructure, the Moroccan government allocated $7.76 billion  in 2015 towards developing infrastructure in Morocco’s southern landscape, including roads, universities, airports, hospitals, and more.

The recent Tangier-Casablanca high speed rail project, a US$4 billion investment that has rendered Morocco’s infrastructure more modern and efficient in recent years, is also a major development for the country’s infrastructure industry.

With the government incentives and foreign investments’ rapid implementation in Morocco, financial experts anticipate the automotive sector to grow by US$14 billion within the next five years.

Morocco’s automotive sector in Expo 2020 Dubai

The General Confederation of Moroccan Entreprises (CGEM) and the Moroccan Agency for the Development of Investments and Exports (AMDIE) organised “Morocco Week” in Dubai as part of the Expo 2020 Dubai, spanning from 10 to 16 October 2021.

Moroccan public and private operators attended with the main aim to promote Morocco for foreign investors through highlighting the Kingdom’s potential as a global investment hub.

CGEM’s president, Chakib Alj, indicated that Morocco’s political stability and geographical location played a key role in attracting foreign investment, making the North African country the second most attractive investment destination, behind Egypt and ahead of South Africa, Kenya, and Rwanda.

With more than 60 free trade agreements signed with Europe, the US, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere, Alj highlighted Morocco’s competitiveness and massive efforts in infrastructure and automotive to become an essential gateway to Africa.

He underlined that “All these achievements have made Morocco a prosperous and safe environment for business”.

During the event in Dubai this week, Morocco introduced foreign investors to the main features of the New Development Model (NDM).

With the goal to shine a light on the greater perspective of the future, the Kingdom will soon implement the framework of the NDM to expand its economic growth and investment opportunities in various sectors, especially in renewable energies.

Alj insists that “By choosing Morocco, an investor chooses growth, innovation, visibility, stability”, adding that “[The investor] also chooses to access a growing continent with a promising future.”

During “Morocco Week,” organizers held a seminar to highlight Morocco’s industrial sector.

Both Moroccan and foreign participants stated that Morocco’ industrial sector “has achieved a remarkable success that exceeded all expectations,” making Morocco a prominent destination for its national industrial fabric.

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