Morocco relies on its citizens living abroad to attract creative investments
The Regional Investment Centre (CRI) of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region celebrated the National Day of Moroccans Living Abroad under the slogan "Once they are here, they are everywhere".
On this occasion, the CRI organised a hybrid seminar (face-to-face and online) shedding light on the theme "Young Moroccans abroad: expectations and contributions".
In his opening speech, Jalal Benhayoun emphasised the strategic importance of the TTA region, its regional offer and the mechanisms to boost and support investment and business activity in the region.
The director of the CRI of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima clarified that the Centre has managed in the period 2020-2023 to validate more than 1,000 projects with a budget of 127 million dirhams (MDH) creating more than 5,400 jobs thanks to the 24 investment agreements it was able to sign in these three years.
In order to improve the Centre's performance, the processing time for files deposited on the platform has been reduced from 13 to 8 days only. In this way, it has been able to assist 17,000 project holders and small businesses over the same period.
As part of its guidance, support and information activities, the CRI launched the Manar Al-Moustatmir platform, available in nine languages, to promote investment in the region. It has also prepared a series of guides that will serve as a compass for both foreign investors and Moroccans living abroad (MRE), namely: Guide for Moroccans living abroad, Guide to industrial zones in the region, Guide to financing and Guide to regional supply, among others.
The intervention of the Vice-President of the Council of the Region Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Taoufik El Bourch, dealt with the legislative and financial reforms and the improvement of transport and communication infrastructure and how they influenced in creating a motivating business climate focused on essential sectors such as automotive, renewable energies and tourism. The Bourch underlined the importance of human resources training by giving the so-called City of Professions and Skills as a model.
In order to expand exports, it is crucial for the Council to help consolidate private-public partnerships, to build more industrial zones in the eight provinces of the region and to support cooperatives, self-employment and micro-enterprises.
The aim of all these efforts and reforms is, according to the vice-president of the TTA Region Council, to bring about territorial justice and consolidate the culture of distinction.
The key to the region's development lies in empowering women with feasible projects or project ideas and providing them with support and financing.
The private sector accounts for 30% of GDP and will multiply by 2036
Chaibia Balbzioui Alaoui, vice-president of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) in the TTA region, pointed out that "any foreign company resident in Morocco is considered Moroccan". In her presentation of the General Confederation of Moroccan Companies, she indicated that the Confederation's missions include "providing the necessary information to help and motivate investors to invest in Morocco, facilitating communication between the state and the private sector by having representatives in the Chamber of Councillors, orienting investment towards social and environmental priorities, as well as offering specific training for entrepreneurs".
Balbzioui spoke of the importance of the 13th region, which reflects the advanced nature of regionalisation in Morocco and which represents Moroccans living abroad and involves them in the development of their country. CGEM is interested in listening to and accompanying Moroccan investors and businessmen living abroad, urging them to invest in Morocco, noting that "when we invest in Morocco, we invest in Africa".
Hussain Ben Taieb, Vice-President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of the TTA region, spoke of three axes: Moroccans in the world, their mobilisation in Europe and their national identity.
In this respect, he pointed out the important role of the advanced regionalisation adopted by Morocco in the integration of the MREs in the major economic development projects that the country is experiencing.
The Marhaba operation is the largest passenger movement in the world mobilised by the passage of Moroccans living abroad.
The MREs are expected to attract creative investment to the country, without losing the roots of Moroccan identity, as Moroccans today belong to the nation-state.
