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CREDIT MANAGEMENT JULY and August 2022

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

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