CREDIT MANAGEMENT JULY and August 2022
THE CICM MAGAZINE FOR CONSUMER AND COMMERCIAL CREDIT PROFESSIONALS
THE CICM MAGAZINE FOR CONSUMER AND COMMERCIAL CREDIT PROFESSIONALS
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COUNTRY FOCUS
AUTHOR – Adam Bernstein
(2019). Nevertheless, it employs a large
proportion of the population – 34.1
percent (2020 Statista).
There are three key sectors – modern,
private, irrigated, export-oriented farms
producing mostly fruits and vegetables;
agriculture within large scale damirrigated
perimeters producing dairy,
sugar, seeds, fruits, and vegetables
primarily for the local market; and rainfed
agriculture with a north (favourable)
and south (less favourable) split.
Often typified by traditional techniques,
in 2020 the Government published a new
strategic plan for agriculture – Generation
Green – through to 2030. It seeks to
develop a new agricultural middle class of
between 350,000 and 400,000 households
by supporting young entrepreneurs.
Morocco is a net importer of
agricultural and related products. That
said, Generation Green could open up
opportunities for technology.
EDUCATION
This is a priority for the Moroccan
Government. With a 2015–2030 education
vision plan, the 2021 budget allocated
$7.16bn to the sector. Morocco World
News said in 2021 that the Government
plans to open 21 new higher education
institutions by 2023. There are currently
147 universities in Morocco.
Structurally, pupils have nine years of
pre-secondary school education followed
by three years in secondary education.
University education moved, in 2022, to
a four-year course structure with growing
interest in Masters and MBAs. Morocco
wants to become the hub for higher
education in North Africa.
Opportunities lie in English language
programmes and R&D partnerships.
ENERGY
Morocco imports around 90 percent of its
energy needs. While energy consumption
has increased by about five percent per
year since 2004, the Government aims to
decrease consumption through energy
efficiency measures.
In 2019, the state-owned power utility,
ONEE, generated electricity using coal
(38 percent), hydroelectricity (16 percent),
fuel oil (eight percent), natural gas (18
percent), wind (11 percent), and solar
(seven percent), others (two percent) –
according to the US Government.
Understandably the Government wants
to be more self-sufficient and less reliant
on imports, thus renewables are high up
on the agenda. The goal is for 52 percent
of electricity to come from renewables
by 2030. The Moroccan Agency for
Sustainable Energy seeks to bring
together developers, land acquisition and
financing under one roof.
Opportunities include componentry,
construction, solar, batteries, wind, and
training.
HEALTHCARE
Data here is a little hazy. The US
Trade department believes that the 85
percent of healthcare is provided by the
state through five university hospital
centres in Rabat, Casablanca, Fez, Oujda
and Marrakech, 149 other public hospitals
and a separate military healthcare
system with six hospitals and a
medical centre. However, Businesswire
counts facilities to number 534. The
difference may be down to scale
recorded.
The OBG states that the Ministry of
Economy and Finance, in 2020, had an
operating budget of $1.6bn. Beyond
that, the OBG said that the private sector
accounts for the majority of health care
spending in the kingdom (52.5 percent of
the total) in 2016.
More recently, the Moroccan
Government signed, says a November
2020 report from Projectstoday.com,
multiple deals to build or refurbish 11
hospitals with a spend of $155m.
There are openings in terms of
ventilators, ICU, MRI and scanners, X-Ray,
cancer treatment, infrastructure, and
other diagnostic equipment. The National
Healthcare Plan 2025 has a budget of
about $2.5bn.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Despite having one of the best road
networks in Africa – some 1100 miles of
roads have been built in the last 20 years
– World Highways says that another 3400
miles are planned for delivery by 2030 at a
cost of $9.6bn.
But apart from roads, ports, airports,
and rail links are a priority for the
Government. World Finance considers
that Morocco needs to spend $37bn to
upgrade its infrastructure.
On rail, Plan Rail Maroc 2040 offers a
long-term strategy for the development of
the national rail network and its various
components by 2040.
For ports, there seems to be a number
of ways to count them. MEYS suggests 38,
while the US Trade Department says that
the country has 27 commercial ports -
that handle over 90m tons of cargo a year.
Brave | Curious | Resilient / www.cicm.com / July & August 2022 / PAGE 22