The global financial crisis forces Morocco to look for new partners.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat

[Siham Ali] Moroccan officials recently met to discuss ways to boost investment in Africa.

With Europe facing serious economic hardships, Morocco is increasingly turning toward Africa in hopes of strengthening ties with the countries of the continent.

It was against this backdrop that over 200 diplomats, businessmen, investors and officials gathered on Wednesday (January 25th) in Rabat. The topic of the forum was “sharing common intelligence for a winning dynamic”.

“Morocco is involved in a number of development projects in Africa, in the fields of electrification, water resource management and irrigation, basic infrastructure, health, etc.,” said Moroccan Foreign Ministry Secretary-General Youssef Amrani.

Over the past two years, the Moroccan government has clearly demonstrated its intention to boost links with Africa, which has shown its ability to grapple with the repercussions of the global crisis.

The exchange between Morocco and African countries is worth a billion dollars, and the target is to increase that figure at least five-fold over the coming years. The time has come to strengthen the already-existing partnership, participants in the forum agreed.

A number of Moroccan state-owned companies have joined in the work of furthering the kingdom’s foreign activities across the continent. Morocco also hosts more than 8,000 students, including 6,500 grant holders, from 42 African companies attending its higher education institutions, according to Amrani.

The high-profile role played by Moroccan state-owned businesses and large groups in the service sector (banking, air travel, vocational training, telecoms, construction, insurance and mining) is proof not just of a real commitment to the national economic fabric of the various countries, but also comes from the conviction that African economies hold real potential for growth, according to the Moroccan diplomat.

African entrepreneurs attending the forum seemed happy with Morocco’s strategic change of direction towards Africa.

“It is the top country for investment in the banking, insurance and telecoms sectors,” Ismailia Sidi Ybé, the general manager of a Malian company, said about Morocco. “It is a bridge between North and South Africa. Relations must be strengthened further so that we can make the most of Moroccan expertise.”

To achieve their goals, the countries need to overcome certain constraints.

The first challenge is the development of basic infrastructure and the establishment of free trade agreements, according to Saad Benabdellah, Director-General of the Moroccan Centre for the Promotion of Exports (CMPE).

Amrani shared this view, saying that a number of things need to be developed first, if the regional integration they want is to be achieved. Improvement of the logistics offer, better control over import and export risks in Africa, improvement of financial instruments and greater synergy between the various Moroccan players (both economic and institutional) operating in Africa will help the Moroccan private sector to open up new business opportunities, he explained.

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“Moroccan exports continue to suffer in competitive terms because of inadequate infrastructure and connectivity in Africa,” Amrani added.

The co-operation towards which Morocco is moving is not only economic, but also security-orientated. Peace and stability remain essential preconditions for the development of countries in the Sahel-Saharan region, the official said.

Although the Sahel was for many years seen as an area for trading, meeting and mixing, it is emerging more and more as an area harbouring threats to regional stability. Joint efforts are needed to overcome all the hazards, Amrani argued.

“The kingdom’s active participation in the various bi-regional and bi-continental partnerships involving Africa has enhanced the diversity of its commitments,” he said. “Morocco has also embarked on realistic, practical initiatives for development, peace and stability.”