Rabat – Morocco’s Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani is satisfied with the achievements Morocco made in recent years across a range of sectors.
Speaking at a monthly questions session at Parliament’s House of Representatives, El Othmani announced that Morocco is today “the largest producer and exporter of cars on the African continent.”
El Othmani made his remarks on December 30, answering questions from opposition parties.
The PM also shared statistics about car production in the country, emphasizing that Morocco produced 400,000 cars in 2018.
He forecast that the number will exceed 500,000 cars in 2020 and that car manufacturing in Morocco is set to reach one million per year by 2023.
Morocco’s automotive industry is one of the pillars of the country’s economy, with several international companies investing in its industrial zones, such as Tangier, and Kenitra.
PSA, Renault-Nissan, and car parts manufacturers are investing in the country, providing both direct and indirect job opportunities.
El Othmani said that the automotive sector in Morocco created 117,000 direct jobs between 2017 and 2018, exceeding expectations. The government’s ultimate goal was to reach 90,000 jobs in 2020.
“The accomplishments were achieved through Moroccan competencies,” he emphasized.
El Othmani also spoke about Morocco’s second promising sector: Aeronautics.
He said that Morocco is not putting in place aircraft structures, and electrical wires that helped the sector to achieve a growth rate of 20% annually as a number of transactions.
El Othmani also argued that the aviation sector is one of the sectors that create a large number of opportunities, adding that the sector created 17,000 jobs in 2018.
He recalled that Morocco signed more than 10 agreements with international companies active in the sector.
El Othmani concluded his statement about Morocco’s industrialization plans, promising a fresh vision for a new acceleration plan.
Earlier this year, Oxford Business Group said that the automotive and aeronautic industries contributed an average of around 19% to the country’s GDP, and “in 2017 this increased, raising the sector’s contribution to around 25% of GDP.”
Oxford Business Group also forecasts an additional growth of 5% in the industry sector by 2022.
