Logistics infrastructure and supply chains in Morocco have strengthened considerably over the past decade. According to figures from the Moroccan Agency for Logistics Development (Agence Marocaine de Développement Logistique, AMDL), during the period 2010-16 the segment grew by 3.47% on average per year and directly contributed 24,000 net jobs, representing a share of 9% of all employment creation…
Agriculture is the most important economic sector by contribution to GDP for both Morocco as a whole and for the Fez-Meknes region, where farming represents half of economic activity by value. The region boasts a variety of agricultural resources, including a large head of livestock, a diverse crop base and 1.34m ha of arable land, 14% of which is irrigated to date. Additionally, the sector…
The Fez-Meknes region is home to more than 40 historic sites – including three UNESCO World Heritage sites – and tourism is an important driver of growth. In January 2018 Fez welcomed 69,400 visitors, a 35% increase compared to January of the previous year. The city’s history dates back 1200 years, when it was established as the first of Morocco’s four imperial capitals. At its heart…
Although agriculture, tourism and industry are all well-established sectors in the region and retain significant potential to function as motors for economy-wide growth, the region also has the opportunity to reinvent itself and expand through the entrenchment of new business activities, such as offshoring, ICT and renewable energy production. Offshoring & ICT Offshoring has gained traction…
The domestic tourism market has been growing strongly since the beginning of the decade, both in absolute terms as well as in its contribution to the wider industry. Nights spent in tourism accommodation by local residents stood at 7.14m in 2018, up 2% on the previous year’s figures and accounting for 30% of total nights in the kingdom. However, this latter figure was down two percentage points,…
Fishing has historically been a key part of Morocco’s economy. The country boasts an exclusive economic zone of 1.1 sq km and a coastline of 3500 km. Plan Halieutis, the government’s strategy to develop the fisheries sector, was launched in 2009 and runs until 2020. The plan has three pillars: sustainability; performance, regarding the sector’s management and infrastructure development;…
Morocco is working to raise the profile of its organic farming segment both at home and abroad by taking advantage of the rising demand for fresh and value-added organic products. In December 2018 a conference was held in Rabat by the Organic Entrepreneurs Association (Club des Entreprenurs Bio, CEB io), a branch of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises. The conference, which discussed…
Morocco’s tradition of using horses dates back to at least the 8th century, when the first records of the North African Barb horse was found. As a result of this long history, the government has identified the equine industry as a key pillar for development. In 2003 the Royal Equestrian Society (Société Royale d’Encouragement du Cheval, SOREC), was created, which is responsible for managing…
One of the main objectives of the Green Morocco Plan is to improve the competitiveness and value addition of the country’s agricultural products in the global marketplace. Since the plan was launched in 2008 the sector has seen a net increase of agricultural exports year-on-year. Between 2008 and 2018 the value of agricultural exports increased by 117%, and agri-food exports grew by 137%,…
In the last five years Morocco has made the financial inclusion of entrepreneurs a priority. Indeed, a series of measures have been adopted to facilitate access to financing for entrepreneurial projects. In this respect, the Finance Law of 2019 maintained the provisions of the Finance Law of 2018 relating to income tax reductions for firms that acquire stakes – capped at Dh200,000 (€18,000)…
