“Morocco is a model for other African countries because it exports more manufactured goods than raw materials,” Chisanga, a fellow at the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, said in a statement carried by the Zambian media.
He explained that when the proportion of manufactured exports exceeds 60 percent in a given country, it implies that it is breaking through in export value added and this is the case of Morocco.
“At 70%, the Kingdom’s global exports in terms of manufactured goods have been far exceeding commodities,” Chisanga said, noting that this achievement is “clearly the antithesis of most African countries, including Zambia whose exports are dominated by raw materials.”
The Zambian expert added that as a result of this achievement, Morocco now occupies a prominent place in Africa. “According to data from Unctadstat, excluding South Africa, the Kingdom is leading African countries in global exports of manufactured goods,” he said.
Recalling that this leadership has already lasted for two decades, Chisanga stressed that Morocco is progressing, developing and integrating slowly but surely into global value chains and networks.
“The Kingdom is also likely to be one of the first four African countries to dominate trade in manufactured goods on the continent under the continental free trade market,” he continued.
The Zambian economist noted, in this regard, that Morocco’s total intra-African exports of manufactured goods reached $1.7 billion, followed by Kenya with $1.5 billion, while in Zambia the figure is below $1 billion.
