Country Profile
From The Report: Morocco 2019
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Morocco is the 25th-largest country in Africa and has a geographic area of 446,550 sq km. The country’s political capital is Rabat, but the largest city by far, as well as the business and economic capital, is Casablanca, located 85 km from Rabat. The current king, Mohammed VI, came to power in 1999. The country has seen substantial socio-economic changes during the current king’s reign, including many notable improvements in socio-economic indicators, though challenges remain. GDP per capita, in constant prices and purchasing power parity terms, has risen by more than two-thirds over the period. The king has called for improvements in education and training provision, as well as greater efforts to secure jobs for young Moroccans. These calls have been reflected in recent policy changes, among them an increase in education spending in the 2019 budget, and plans to overhaul the professional and vocational training system. This chapter contains a viewpoint with King Mohamed VI; interviews with Akinwumi Adesina, President, African Development Bank; Simon McDonald, Permanent Under-Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK; and Mohcine Jazouli, Minister Delegate for African Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Bright future: Political and economic liberalisation will ensure the kingdom remains a model of sustainable growth and stability
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Morocco is the 25th-largest country in Africa and has a geographic area of 710,850 sq km. The kingdom has 2363 km of land borders, shared with Algeria, Mauritania, and the small enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which are located on Morocco’s north-eastern coast but are under Spanish control. It also has a 2945-km-long coast, most of which is located on the Atlantic but a portion of which, east of the Gibraltar Strait in the north-east of the kingdom, is on the Mediterranean Sea. The country’s…

Viewpoint

Formative years: His Majesty King Mohammed VI, on education and placing the youth at the centre of the new development model
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Viewpoint:His Majesty King Mohammed VI We are witnessing the dawn of a new revolution, one in which we seek to rise to the challenge of completing the construction of modern Morocco. Through this revolution we aim to give Moroccans the life they deserve, especially our young people, whom I have always regarded as the country’s true wealth. In the speech I delivered at the state opening of Parliament, I emphasised the need to put young people at the centre of the new development model. I…

Overview

Continental outreach: Extensive efforts to consolidate links with sub-Saharan Africa define the political and economic landscape
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The Moroccan executive branch consists of the monarch, who is the head of state, and a government – the head of which is appointed by the king but must be led by the party that gained the most votes in the most recent legislative elections. The government has to command a majority in the lower house of Parliament and currently consists of a broad coalition. The kingdom has a bicameral Parliament, consisting of the Majlis Al Nuwab (House of Representatives), and the upper house, Majlis…

Analysis

Socio-economic strides: Liberalisation measures are redefining key areas of society, although more needs to be done to support young people
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King Mohammed VI came to power 20 years ago, following the death of his father, King Hassan II, in July 1999, after ruling for 38 years. Towards the end of his reign, King Hassan II had begun to make liberalising reforms, appointing left-wing opposition figure and human rights lawyer Abderrahmane Youssoufi to head the government in 1998. The new king continued in a liberalising direction; for example, by putting in place an Equity and Reconciliation Commission to investigate human rights…

Interview

African anchor: Akinwumi Adesina, President, African Development Bank (AfDB), on the lessons Morocco can share with the continent
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Interview:Akinwumi Adesina How is the AfDB engaged in supporting economic development in Morocco? AKINWUMI ADESINA: Since 1970 the AfDB has invested over $10bn in nearly 170 operations throughout Morocco’s key economic sectors. We believe in an integrated and holistic approach to development. Beyond financial commitments, support is also channelled into human development with a focus on education and social safety nets, especially the widening of medical insurance coverage, which has benefitted…

Analysis

Fruits of integration: Morocco is putting itself in a position to reap the rewards of closer ties with African states
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Since the early years of the current century, Moroccan companies – in particular in the telecoms, financial services and phosphate sectors – have been expanding into sub-Saharan African countries, with an initial focus on francophone West Africa that has since widened to much of the rest of the continent. A large share of Moroccan investment outflows currently go to Africa. The country that receives the greatest amount of Moroccan foreign investment is Côte d’Ivoire, with a total of…

Overview

Business Barometer: Morocco CEO Survey:
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While 2018 marked a deceleration from the economic growth of 2017, Morocco’s overall picture continues to look stable: the IMF forecast GDP growth of 3.2% for 2018, a substantial figure, and projected growth of 3.2% for 2019. Sentiment also remains strong among the country’s business leaders, as indicated by our latest OBG Business Barometer: Morocco CEO Survey. Of the 106 CEOs we surveyed, almost three-quarters have positive or very positive expectations of local business conditions in the coming 12 months, and 77% say it is likely or very likely that their company will make a significant capital investment in this period. Evidently,…

Overview

Business Barometer: Morocco CEO Survey:
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While 2018 marked a deceleration from the economic growth of 2017, Morocco’s overall picture continues to look stable: the IMF forecast GDP growth of 3.2% for 2018, a substantial figure, and projected growth of 3.2% for 2019. Sentiment also remains strong among the country’s business leaders, as indicated by our latest OBG Business Barometer: Morocco CEO Survey. Of the 106 CEOs we surveyed, almost three-quarters have positive or very positive expectations of local business conditions in the coming 12 months, and 77% say it is likely or very likely that their company will make a significant capital investment in this period. Evidently,…

Interview

Shared interests: Simon McDonald, Permanent Under-Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK, on strengthening ties
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Interview:Simon McDonald How have recent efforts helped to strengthen the Moroccan-UK relationship? SIMON MCDONALD: There have been a number of efforts made by both countries to foster cooperation. The inaugural strategic dialogue between the UK and Morocco was held in 2018, which sought to deepen and strengthen collaboration across many areas. This has enabled us to work better together – on trade and economic issues, for example – and we are continuing work on a replacement for the…

Interview

Economic bridges: Mohcine Jazouli, Minister Delegate for African Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on expanding reach in Africa
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Interview:Mohcine Jazouli What would you characterise as Morocco’s strategy with respect to the African continent? MOHCINE JAZOULI: King Mohammed VI has been leading the way for 20 years in this regard, with the clear goal of expanding Morocco’s presence across the continent. These concrete effects have been bearing fruit for around 10 years, with key sectors of the Moroccan economy investing in Africa. The essence of this vision is the concept of co-development. The aim is to simultaneously…