Rabat – The Marrakech Airshow opening marked the signing of several agreements and partnerships to boost Morocco’s aviation and aerospace industry as well as defense.
Among the agreements is a partnership that Morocco’s fertilizer group OCP signed with the Ministry of Industry, the National Defense Administration, and the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), alongside global companies including Lockheed Martin, Safran, Airbus, and Boeing, to advance research and development in Morocco’s aviation and industrial sectors.
The agreement, which the Technical Center for Mechanical Industries signed alongside the ACME platform, seeks to establish the African Manufacturing Excellence Center with the participation of institutional and industrial players.
On the sidelines of the event, the Ministry of Trade and Royal Air Maroc (RAM) also signed an agreement aimed at strengthening the integration of “Made in Morocco” products and services into the national carrier’s supply chain. The goal is to support the presence of Moroccan-made products and services within this supply chain.
An agreement between the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Investment, the Agency for Investment and Export Development, and Safran Oil Systems seeks to establish an industrial subsidiary of the company in Morocco to develop industrial capabilities in aircraft engine lubrication systems and fluid management.
The Ministry of Trade also signed a deal with the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Investment, and the National Defense Administration, alongside Harmattan AI, to develop next-generation technology for countering drones, covering research and development, engineering, production, integration, and testing.
The National Defense Administration and Harmattan AI also signed an agreement to develop a Moroccan-made drone to strengthen Morocco’s defense and technological sovereignty.
The eighth Marrakech Airshow opened Wednesday at the Royal Moroccan Air Force Base in Marrakech, gathering nearly 200 exhibitors from 27 countries.
Themes this year are industrial sovereignty, resilient supply chains, advanced defense systems, and AI.
Morocco’s Delegate Minister for National Defense Abdellatif Loudiyi said in his speech that Morocco’s aviation sector has undergone a qualitative shift from simple assembly to advanced manufacturing and engineering, citing King Mohammed VI’s vision.
Loudiyi made his remarks at the opening session of the airshow, stating the aerospace sector and the technologies it encompasses have become a key driver for developing national industrial capabilities.
The sector, he said, has witnessed significant development in Morocco thanks to the royal vision aimed at transforming the country into a strategic global hub for aircraft manufacturing and maintenance, and modernizing airport infrastructure to develop tourism activities and also prepare for major international sporting events.
