Building on its previous industrial development strategy, in 2014 Morocco introduced an ambitious seven-year industrial growth and acceleration plan. It allocates USD 2.1 billion to a public industrial investment fund to support programs that will increase manufacturing’s share of GDP from 14 to 23 percent and to create 500,000 new jobs by 2020. The plan aims to support the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), improve youth employability, support integrated industrial platforms, and promote exports, using increased foreign investment to boost knowledge sharing and technology transfer. At the same time, it aims to protect local industries against ‘unfair’ competition and reduce import dependency. The plan targets the same sectors as its predecessor, including automotive, aeronautics, offshoring, electronics, textile and leather, and the food industry.

More information on the Industrial Acceleration Plan can be found here: http://www.invest.gov.ma/?Id=23&lang=en

In the meanwhile, here’s a bird’s eye view of Marrakech