Fez-Meknes
From The Report: Morocco 2019
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Boasting a dynamic and diversified economy, the Fez-Meknes region contributed 9.4% to Morocco’s national GDP in 2018, fourth by economic output. Established in 2015 as one of 12 distinct administrative areas, Fez-Meknes covers an area of over 40,000 sq km and forms a crossroads between several prominent economic centres on the country’s coasts. The region, one of the country’s largest by population, output and consumption, has accordingly launched many projects to lift growth. It has identified the shortcomings it must tackle, as well as its existing strengths and those economic sectors with the most potential to add value to local economic activity. The region must address urban unemployment, rural poverty, illiteracy among women and economic precarity. It already has the resources to foster job creation, lift wages and build wealth, including fertile land, a rich cultural heritage and cities equipped with extensive industrial capacities.

This chapter contains an interview with Rachid Aouine, Director, Regional Investment Centre of Fez-Meknes.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Strategically structured: Recent growth in construction, tourism and agri-business have helped diversify a historically agrarian regional economy
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Boasting a dynamic and diversified economy, the Fez-Meknes region contributed 9.4% to Morocco’s national GDP in 2018, fourth by economic output behind the Casablanca-Settat, Rabat-Salé-Kenitra and Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima regions. Established in 2015 as one of 12 distinct administrative areas through the territorial reorganisation mandated by the constitution of 2011, Fez-Meknes covers an area of over 40,000 sq km and forms a crossroads between several prominent economic centres on the…

Interview

Leveraging assets: Rachid Aouine, Director, Regional Investment Centre of Fez- Meknes, on harmonising economic heritage and opportunity
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Interview:Rachid Aouine What are the priorities of socio-economic development in the Fez-Meknes region? RACHID AOUINE: Since the 2016 administrative reorganisation, which reunited the two urban areas of Fez and Meknes, the region has comprised a zone of 40,000 sq km and a population of 4.2m. Historically, it is a region where people have come to study and trade, due to its well-known universities and its geographical position at the centre of the country. Its economic activity has always…

Analysis

Bread basket: Farm modernisation has boosted outputs and displaced labour
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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 employs over 590,000 people, or 43.5% of the region’s workforce. Building on these strengths is a…

Analysis

Intangible advantages: Tourism grows on the strength of religious and wellness visitors
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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 stands Al Qarawiyyin Mosque, which, with a capacity of 20,000 people, is one of the largest mosques…

Overview

New order of business: Officials pin their hopes for industrial growth on free zones
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Fez-Meknes is one of Morocco’s most important manufacturing centres: the region is the site of 653 industrial units, equal to 8% of the national total, and the sector employs 26,300 people, or 5% of the national workforce. The regional sector has grown significantly since the end of the 20th century, and the region has become home to a large pool of qualified, potential workers. Industrial activities encompass aspects of automotive, aerospace, textile, leather and agro-industrial processing.…

Analysis

Leaps and bounds: Interest surges in tertiary sector services like ICT and offshoring
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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 in Morocco in recent years. In 2016 the sector grew by 7%, before accelerating to 10% in 2018,…