Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Benguerir — Morocco’s Minister of Industry and Commerce Ryad Mezzour said that Africa stands at a crossroads where it can create intelligent, resilient, and inclusive industrial ecosystems.
In a statement announced on his behalf by the ministry’s communication director Imane Benrabia at NextGen Manufacturing Summit Africa at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), the minister said that “without innovation and without industrialization, there can be no quality jobs.”
Benrabia conveyed his belief that the continent’s industrial transformation cannot happen in isolation.
Instead, he stressed, it must emerge from a shared continental project built on cooperation, equality, and solidarity.
“Morocco’s African vocation is both a conviction and a destiny,” Mezzour said, urging for regional integration as central to the country’s industrial strategy.
Regional value chains key to Africa’s shared prosperity
Morocco’s approach focuses on promoting regional value chains that allow countries to produce together, transform goods locally, and create shared prosperity.
The minister pointed to concrete examples already underway: the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline, OCP Group’s fertilizer investments across Africa, and Moroccan banks now operating in more than 30 African countries.
Technology as tool, not threat
Mezzour argued that Africa’s industrial renaissance must also embrace technology. He described Industry 4.0 tools — artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced materials, and automation — as “levers for sovereignty, value creation, and jobs,” not threats to employment.
The minister pointed out that the human capital will determine success or failure, saying, “Sovereignty begins with mastering skills. We must train technicians, engineers, and operators in digital technologies.”
Three pillars support this transformation: skills development, innovation and access to financing, and regional cooperation.
Morocco advances smart manufacturing
Mezzour’s speech endorsed Morocco’s achievements under its Country Partnership Program (CPP) with UNIDO, which has enhanced value chains, boosted competitiveness, and advanced sustainable industrial development.
He revealed that the program’s upcoming phase will prioritize Industry 4.0 and innovation as central pillars of the national strategy. Initiatives include establishing a smart factory, introducing acceleration programs for small and medium-sized enterprises, and developing an open innovation ecosystem.
In his concluding remarks, the minister urged governments, investors, and innovators to “co-create the African manufacturing revolution” through strong partnerships and a common vision.
“Africa must write its own industrial and technological roadmap,” he insisted, challenging summit participants to step outside their comfort zones and build an inclusive, sustainable, and competitive industry together.
