Rabat – The FDI Confidence Index 2023 has featured Morocco among the most attractive emerging markets for foreign direct investment (FDI, with the report ranking the North African country 16th out of the 25 markets listed in the emerging market rankings.
This is the first time for the Index to include an exclusive list of emerging markets, suggesting that one of the main goals of this year’s report is to provide business owners and leaders “insights into which emerging markets are most appealing to investors now and over the next three years.”
Topping the list is China, and the Asian giant is closely followed by India, the UAE, Qatar, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia.
Ranking next to these Asian heavyweights is Brazil, which is followed by Mexico, Argentina, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Egypt.
Turkey comes before Morocco. South Africa is 17th on the list, followed by Colombia, Peru, Dominican Republic, Bangladesh, Russia, Pakistan, Cuba, and Ghana.
The report ranked the emerging markets using the World Bank’s country classification system, with the index further explaining that several other factors typically inform investors’ choice of markets to make their foreign direct investment.
Among the key factors are government regulations transparency, tech capabilities, and ease of tax payments, the report said.
The Index’s assessment comes as Morocco continues to multiply efforts toward improving the country’s economic attraction for foreign direct investment.
Read also: Foreign Direct Investments to Morocco Rise by Nearly 20%
Last year, King Mohammed VI emphasized the importance of investment as a cornerstone of the country’s economic development.
“Today, we are counting on productive investment as a lever for boosting our economy and making sure our country engages in the promising sectors which provide job opportunities for young people as well as funding for various social and development programs,” the King said in a speech in October 2022.
The monarch also stressed the importance of the new investment charter in improving Morocco’s attractiveness for both domestic and foreign investors.
According to the latest data from Morocco’s Exchange Office, FDI flow into Morocco rose by 19.8% over the first two months of this year. Specifically, FDI flow into the North African country reached MAD 5 billion ($493 million) at the end of February, up from MAD 4 billion ($ 394 million) a year earlier.
