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Rabat – The Fraser Institute Survey of Mining Companies ranked Morocco as the “most attractive” African country for mining investments on Wednesday.
During the final quarter of last year, the institute electronically sent a questionnaire to over 3,800 officials working in the mining industry in preparation for the publication of two annual indices. The Investment Attractiveness Index (IAI) measures the jurisdiction’s “geological attractiveness” in terms of the kinds and amounts of minerals available in the area, while the Policy Perception Index (PPI) measures taxation levels, political stability, human resources, and other factors. This year, the indices ranked 109 jurisdictions from around the world based on the mentioned criteria.
Morocco – the only Arab League country on listed on either index – ranked in 24th place on both indices.
States and provinces in the United States and Canada lead in the IAI. Western Australia, Saskatchewan, Nevada, Ireland, Finland, Alaska, the Northern Territory (Australia), Quebec, Utah, and South Australia made up the top 10 regions on the list.
In addition to Morocco, 19 other African countries made it to the list. At the African level, Burkina Faso (29th) ranks second behind Morocco. It is followed by Ghana (31st), Namibia (33rd), and Botswana (39th). Zimbabwe (98th), Kenya (102nd), and New Guinea (103rd) are in the bottom of the list.
According to analysis by Mining Review Africa, the median PPI and IAI scores for African countries improved only slightly this year. However, the continent did not get the high scores it had previously achieved in 2011.
In terms of overall investment potential, Africa, as a region, now ranks ahead of Oceania, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Argentina, according to the analysts.
