Rabat – The 2019 International Franchise Attractiveness Index ranked Morocco 39 with a significant score of 54. With a list of 131 states, the index listed Morocco as the first attractive business hub in Africa and the 2nd in MENA after the UAE.
Morocco jumped up three places since 2018 when the annual report placed Morocco at 41 with a score of 54.53.
The list shows Morocco competing with some of the international powers, including France, Spain, Germany, and Australia.
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Germany is the first on the list with a score of 25.50, followed by the UK with a score of 26.08, and Canada with a score of 29.58.
Saudi Arabia ranks 42nd on the list with a score of 55.15, while Qatar positioned itself at 59th.
Egypt was listed 51st with a score of 60.53 ahead of Kenya, and South Africa with 54 and 55, respectively.
Tunisia is the 77th on the list.
The index listed Algeria as the 66th with a score of 69.53, Nigeria 81st, and Senegal as 82nd.
Researchers at the Rosenberg International Franchise Center (RIFC) develop the index by taking into account the attractiveness of 131 counties as “international expansion markets” for US-based franchises.
“This index is generated through a quantitative model that is based on peer-reviewed research and a survey of franchise executives. The model produces two different index rankings (Balanced Growth and Aggressive Growth) based on a company’s risk tolerance levels,” according to the University of New Hampshire (UNH).
Morocco’s location works as a pillar to attract international investors. The 2019 Investment Climate Statements from the US Department of State said in July that Morocco’s political stability, geographical location, and efforts to build a robust infrastructure, contribute “to its emergence as a regional manufacturing and export base for companies.”
The report also recalled Morocco’s strategy for attracting investors, with several measures in place, including facilitating foreign investment.
The report said that the facilitation is especially relevant in “export sectors like manufacturing, through macro-economic policies, trade liberalization, investment incentives, and structural reforms.”
The report also indicates that Morocco attracts the fifth-most foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa, with an intention to position itself as a regional business hub due to its status and location and the “tri-regional focal point of sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.”
