Casablanca – The private sector has an essential role to play in building Morocco’s national integrity system, Mohamed Benalilou, president of the National Authority for Probity, Prevention and the Fight Against Corruption (INPPLC), said today in Rabat.
Benalilou made the remarks during a two-day meeting organized by the Moroccan Agency for Investment and Export Development (AMDIE) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The event focused on responsible business conduct as a tool for sustainability and competitiveness.
The meeting also marked the 15th anniversary of Morocco’s National Contact Point (NCP) and the 50th anniversary of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, which the organization adopted in 1976.
Benalilou said private companies could help establish an ethical business environment by using their expertise and introducing responsible practices into their daily operations.
He also stressed the importance of aligning business practices with international integrity standards. Such standards help companies maintain their competitiveness, access international markets and improve corporate governance, he said.
Responsible business conduct can also strengthen accountability and build trust between the state, companies and society. Businesses must pursue productive investment and job creation while honoring their commitments, Benalilou added.
Five agreements seek to strengthen business integrity
The meeting’s opening session saw AMDIE sign five memorandums of understanding with institutional and economic partners to promote integrity, governance and sustainability across Morocco’s economy.
The agreements brought together AMDIE, which chairs Morocco’s NCP, the INPPLC, the National Agency for the Strategic Management of State Holdings (ANGSPE), the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), the Moroccan Association of Textile and Clothing Industries (AMITH), and the National Federation of Agri-Food (FENAGRI).
The partnerships aim to formalize joint initiatives and encourage companies to adopt responsible business practices.
Abdellatif Zaghnoun, director general of ANGSPE, also addressed the meeting through a speech delivered by the agency’s deputy director general, Khalid El Hattab.
Zaghnoun said responsible business conduct had moved beyond voluntary declarations over the past 15 years and increasingly formed part of contractual obligations for economic actors.
He also pointed to global economic changes, rising protectionism and the need to secure supply chains as factors that make responsible business practices important for Morocco’s competitiveness. Public establishments and state-owned companies have a central role in this process because they rank among the country’s largest contracting authorities, he said.
The state must set an example in governance to encourage businesses across the economy to follow higher standards.
AMDIE has also worked to extend responsible business practices beyond the main economic centers. In 2024, Morocco’s NCP organized a regional tour covering seven regions, with seven regional events and eight training workshops.
The NCP also took part in 31 dedicated events to promote responsible business conduct among local economic actors.
