Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Industry, Trade, and Green Economy and Digital Economy, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, congratulated the country on the remarkable progress it has made in the field of industry, particularly the automotive sector and aeronautics.
Speaking before the committee of agriculture and productive sectors at the House of councilors in parliament on Tuesday, December 10, Elalamy underlined the value of Moroccan expertise, explaining that a plant in England sought the advice of Moroccan experts.
Elalamy explained that a group of Moroccan engineers intervened after the failure of their international counterparts to run a plant that had experienced hardships.
“Thanks to King Mohammed VI’s wisdom and his instructions to the government to develop industrial plans, Morocco has made miracles. These achievements were made thanks to the competency of the Moroccan workforce that has impressed the Japanese, Americans, and Chinese that visited Morocco,” said the minister.
“It must not be understood that we just tighten the bolts of cars, as some claim. No gentlemen, our factories manufacture cars with all their components from A to Z and I invite you to visit the factories of Tangier, Kenitra, and Nouaceur to discover Moroccan genius,” he added.
To corroborate his remarks, Elalamy stressed that Moroccan engineers and experts manufacture the entire engine for French carmaker Peugeot, as well as spare parts. Exports in this field reach €1 billion.
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To conclude, the top official revealed that Morocco has already begun to manufacture electric cars and is on the way to producing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Facts on ground
In the last five years, Morocco has seen an influx of car and car parts companies to its various Industrial Zones, called Free Zones.
Attracting automotive and aeronautics companies was the bedrock of Morocco’s Industrial Acceleration Plan, enabling Morocco to create 81% of its goal of 500,000 direct and indirect jobs since 2014.
Morocco’s acquired experience in the field qualified it to make the first Made-in-Morocco car, namely the 2020 model of Peugeot 208. The car was out on July 2018.
The prototype was manufactured inside the PSA Group plant in Kenitra, Morocco and required an estimated investment amount of €557 million, with a capacity of 200,000 vehicles, 90% of which will be exported to the rest of Africa and the Middle East.
The plant, inaugurated by Mohammed VI and Emmanuel Macron on June 20, will only produce smaller vehicles like the latest Peugeot 208 model.
The car will be entering the Moroccan market in January 2020.
