Join on WhatsApp 
Join on Telegram Rabat – Morocco’s ties with the UK are continuing to expand, with venues of cooperation growing beyond trade in every direction, creating an ever stronger and wider foundation between the two countries, said Simon Martin, UK Ambassador to Morocco.
“We’re delighted to see the way in which our relationship is expanding,” Martin told Morocco World News (MWN) in an interview on the sidelines of BritCham’s 100th-anniversary celebrations in Casablanca organized by the British Moroccan Society (BMS), chaired by British entrepreneur Mike Wood.
British Moroccan Society (BMS) Chairman and British Entrepreneur, Mike Wood
The Gala was not only celebrating the “centenary of the British Chamber of Commerce,” but also “the growth of English curriculum education” in Morocco, Wood told MWN.
Operating in Morocco since 1923, the British Chamber of Commerce (BritCham) has been working to promote trade between the two countries by supporting companies navigating the two markets.
Morocco and the UK have made significant strides to strengthen diplomatic ties over the years. The two countries have made “extraordinary development in recent years in terms of trade, the number of visitors from both sides, as well as in terms of education, energy, and culture,” the UK ambassador explained.
The diplomat further expressed confidence that this positive trend should continue in the future,” thanks to the “firm support of both governments.”
Speaking on the sidelines for the BMS gala, Martin commented on the recent developments in Morocco in the wake of the devastating September 8 earthquake. He expressed his confidence in Marrakech’s potential to bounce back.
“Marrakech obviously is the unofficial capital of tourism in Morocco, but it’s also an enormous center of international conferences,” he said.
He continued that “the very fact that the World Bank and the IMF are continuing with their autumn meetings there next week, this is the first time in 50 years that Africa has hosted these meetings.”
“It’s a sign of confidence,” he concluded.
Read also: British Ambassador: Brexit Is Good for UK-Morocco Special Friendship
According to the UK diplomat, “there’s a very responsible attitude taken with the local authorities carrying out structural inspections and identifying which buildings have to be repaired and which are fine to continue.”
“We’re seeing the tourism sector building back,” he said.
“Yes, you have to be responsible and ensure that where you’re staying is safe,” he added.
The British diplomat asserted the sought-after Moroccan city is already “coming back again.”
He added: “I’m sure that the World Bank and IMF meetings will give that further vote of confidence.”
The BritCham celebration was held with the presence of a number of private and public organizations.
Highlighting the strong ties between Morocco and Commonwealth nations, Clive Golt, head of communications for the Government of Gibraltar, said Morocco and Gibraltar share deep-rooted historic ties.
“We have very strong links with Morocco,” he said.
“When Franco closed the border with Gibraltar, our Moroccan brothers, and neighbors came over and helped us to get the economy going.”
“Many of them stayed behind and now are Gibraltarians. We are very grateful to what the Moroccans did for Gibraltar,” Colt noted.
UK-Morocco business ties
Trade between Morocco and the UK has grown steadily over the past few years. At the end of 2022, trade volume between the two countries amounted to $3.6 billion.
Morocco-UK trade received a massive boost in the post-Brexit era as the UK sought to diversify its trade partners away from the European Union.
“We believe post-Brexit, the opportunities for the United Kingdom to trade with Morocco have increased fivefold to current trade levels at about 2 billion pounds per year,” Stephen Orr, president of the British Chamber of Commerce in Morocco asserted.
“I personally think in the next three to five years, that will get way beyond £5 billion,” Orr said.
Beyond trade, Morocco-UK economic ties reached a new milestone with the Xlinks project, an ambitious $24.5 billion plan to harness solar and wind power from Morocco’s south and transmit it to the UK via the world’s longest subsea cable.
The project was recently designated by the UK government as a project of “national significance.”
The designation aims to streamline the planning and approval process for the project, which is expected to supply electricity to over seven million homes in the UK, satisfying approximately 8% of the nation’s power needs.
In addition, “there are four significant investments on the verge of being made at the moment,” Mike Wood unveiled.
“We’ve got Emerson, Chariot, Xlinks, and Sound Energy, all of whom are working on half a billion-plus-pound capital projects, all of whom are members of the active members of our society,” he explained, adding: “I think when those investments come to fruition, we will have even deeper, even more meaningful links.”
Business opportunities between the two countries are ripe, as organizations attending the event attested. Stephen Marin, Secretary of the Gibraltar Morocco Business Association, an organization working to facilitate business between the UK and Morocco, spoke to MWN expressing his enthusiasm for doing business in Morocco.
“I think the future is bright … After Brexit, I think we have to look towards the south,” he said when asked about the future of doing business with UK companies in Morocco.
Recalling projects under development between Gibraltar and Morocco, Marin said: “There are a lot of projects happening as we speak. I’ve been working for the past four years with different companies and doing cable links with the internet, even UK ferry to Tangiers … there is a UK potential ferry to Tangiers.”
Morocco’s Shift to English
Orr said he believed that Morocco’s shift to English has the potential to further boost economic cooperation between the two nations.
The president of the UK Chamber of Commerce recalled Morocco is already on the right path to transition to English.
“In Morocco, 30% [of Moroccans] master French. But it’s very interesting to see that now 34% master English. So in the community of young people, 15 to 25, English has now become their second language,” he said.
Morocco has made expanding English language teaching a policy target, with the education ministry announcing an ambitious plan. In the ongoing school year, English language teaching in middle schools is set to expand by 10% in seventh grade and 50% in eighth grade.
English courses will be further expanded in the 2024-2025 academic year, with a coverage rate of up to 50% in seventh grade and 100% in eighth grade. In the 2025-2026 academic year, English language teaching will be fully implemented in the first year of middle school.
A 2022 report by the British Council showed that English is “growing rapidly in importance among Moroccan youth, who regard it as vital for unlocking educational, career, and cultural opportunities.”
The report found that 40% of young Moroccans regard English as the most important language to learn, while only 10% thought so for French.
The move towards English in Morocco is gradually gaining momentum driven by the country’s youth, and a state vision aiming to reform the country’s education and enhance the national economy’s competitiveness.
