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Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour held a meeting on October 22 with the Group of Moroccan Aeronautical and Space Industries (GIMAS) to discuss a roadmap for the development of the aeronautical sector in Morocco.
During the meeting, the minister stressed the need to capitalize on the achievements of Morocco’s aeronautics platform for a successful post-COVID recovery, highlighting the importance of human capital in the dynamics of the sector that has created more than 11,000 jobs since 2014, as part of the Industrial Acceleration Plan (PAI).
PAI is an approach adopted by Morocco to implement efficient ecosystems aiming to integrate the value chains and consolidate local relations between big firms and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
According to the government, the plan’s overarching goal is to reinforce Morocco’s industry sector as a major lever for growth and job creation.
“Highly qualified jobs, which Morocco will have been able to train, through an offer that guarantees students a qualified job at the end of the training course,” Mezzour said, specifying that the aeronautic sector counts more than 40% of women.
Mezzour emphasized the importance of working in line with the New Development Model (NDM) that enhances gender equality and draws attention to women’s role in the economy and within the society.
The minister also argued that Morocco’s great potential in terms of highly skilled and young labor force are critical assets for the good development prospects of the country’s aeronautic sector.
“Operators need competitiveness and youth for the recovery. Today, it is essential for Morocco to strengthen its attractiveness,” he added.
The North African country also intends to expand its current connectivity ecosystems and fully develop the ecosystems that are already being developed in cooperation with Safran, a world-renowned engineering company.
With many opportunities available within the sector, Mezzour said, “The first major change expected in the sector concerns the aeronautical engine and environmental developments. Our ambition is to position Morocco as an important player in green propulsion and we will spare no effort to achieve this.”
The minister also stressed the importance of further developing research and development (R&D) and engineering, particularly through the attraction of new engineering centers as well as the establishment of collaborative programs with several universities and research centers.
He underlined the need to strengthen the complementarity between the Institute of Aeronautical Trades (IMA) and the Specialized Institute for Aeronautics and Airport Logistics (ISMALA).
“We rely on the talents of our young people to meet the new requirements and developments in our sector,” he said.
Additionally, Mezzour praised the resilience and responsiveness Morocco’s aeronautics operators showed during the COVID-19 crisis.
“Morocco has kept all of its production sites in operation and has even seen the launch of significant investments despite the gloom,” he noted.
The president of GIMAS, Karim Cheikh, said that the meeting was an opportunity to draw attention to the progress made in the sector and to highlight Morocco’s platform of aeronautics that is now recognized worldwide for “the quality of its infrastructures and its human resources.”
He said, “We are facing a technological evolution that will be important, on which the Moroccan platform of aeronautics must position itself.”
