For the first time, the Kingdom of Morocco is poised to become the most industrialized economy on the African continent by 2025. This is according to a report by the African Development Bank (AfDB). While Morocco is certainly benefiting from South Africa’s decline, this is also the result of a pro-industry political strategy launched twenty years ago.
In its report, the AfDB highlights the successes of the Moroccan model: rising public and foreign investments, booming industrial zones and increasingly connected infrastructures, particularly with the port of Tangier Med , now the leading African port.
As a result, the kingdom’s industry no longer relies solely on phosphates or automobiles, but also on other promising sectors such as aeronautics. » Every aircraft in the sky today, produced after 2005, has at least one essential component manufactured in Morocco. It was one of King Mohammed VI’s bets to invest in aeronautics as much as in automobiles , » explains Abdelmalek Alaoui, president of the Moroccan Institute for Strategic Intelligence and author of the book Morocco, the Challenge of Power .
Disparities that remain significant
“ When a country decides to make significant public investments to develop high-quality infrastructure, whether in connectivity, ports, or telecommunications, there are increasingly important international investors involved, but also national investors. And that’s when we move into a different category ,” explains Abdelmalek Alaoui.
One challenge remains for Morocco : ensuring that the entire country benefits from this industrial success. » There is a Morocco that is thriving, a Morocco near the ports, a Morocco of globalization. And there is still a Morocco of the margins, of the territories. And the fact that we experienced this forced industrialization has widened the gap between those who are very rich and those who are much lower in the social pyramid. «
Because behind the industrial performance, significant disparities remain. In another report last month, the AfDB noted that while Morocco has many companies, it struggles to create enough jobs for its population.
source : RFI
