Speaking at the 2023 edition of the Africa CEO Forum, Akhannouch gave a broad overview of Morocco’s undeniable investments and efforts in the development of logistics infrastructures, pointing out that the Kingdom boasts the largest port in Africa and a large number of international airports.
He also highlighted the new Investment Charter and sectoral priorities, such as healthcare, automotive industry, agro-industry, fertilizers and aeronautics.
The Head of Government pointed out, however, that the value chain cannot be confined to a single country, but should be integrated regionally. “No country can do everything on its own, so we need complementarity, and Africa has that characteristic,” he said.
Recalling the context of Covid-19, he pointed out that Morocco gives high priority to health sovereignty, in addition to industrial and agricultural sovereignty, recalling, in this respect, the Green Morocco Plan which has doubled the added value of agriculture, as well as the new “Generation Green” strategy.
Akhannouch also presented Morocco’s progress in the field of green and renewable energies, thanks to a far-sighted Royal Vision, pointing out that the share of renewable energies in the energy mix has risen to almost 40pc today, and the ambition is to reach 52pc in a few years’ time.
Morocco, which is also particularly interested in green hydrogen, is in the process of preparing a bid for investors, which will certainly be ready before the end of this year, he added, recalling at the same time the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline and its importance in terms of resource diversification.
With regard to the public/private relationship, Akhannouch explained that Morocco’s ambition is to increase the private sector’s share of investment to 2/3, compared with 1/3 for the State.
He also stressed the importance of increasing trade between the continent’s countries, through taking advantage of the opportunities available, pointing out that Africa is a continent that complements itself through its natural resources.
