Les Echos: Morocco, more than ever “a country with potential” for French SMEs

Morocco is “more than ever a country with potential” for French small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and intermediate-sized companies (ETIs), points out the French economic and financial daily “Les Echos”.

“In the midst of accelerating its major infrastructure and energy transition projects, the country is attracting foreign companies, particularly French ones”, notes the newspaper, adding that in addition to local projects, the Kingdom is positioning itself as a privileged gateway to Africa’.

Among the major projects, the French media outlet cites the extension of the Tangier-Casablanca high-speed line, inaugurated in 2018, to Marrakech, scheduled for completion in 2030, and the freeway linking Tiznit to Dakhla, due for completion in 2024.

The French newspaper also cites the “emblematic” Tangier Med port, at the exit of the Strait of Gibraltar, which will soon be complemented by two new port infrastructures: one a few kilometers from Dakhla, on the Atlantic side of the Moroccan Sahara, and the other in Nador, facing the Mediterranean.

All these projects, combined with the Kingdom’s “strong ambitions” in terms of energy transition, are attracting entrepreneurs, including French ones, notes the author of the article.

“While the local market is buoyant, the country is also seen as a gateway to Africa, particularly sub-Saharan Africa. Its strategic geographical location and extensive business network are seen by some SMEs and ETIs as opportunities”, notes the publication.

The French business publication notes that the Continental African Free Trade Area (CAFTA) agreement, established in 2018 – almost twenty years after the signing of free trade agreements between Morocco and the European Union – would also benefit French companies.

At the same time, the Kingdom is “a financial gateway”, writes “Les Echos”, noting that the financial center of Casablanca, the economic capital, “radiates internationally”, as do Moroccan banks, several of which are established in numerous African countries.

At the same time, adds the same source, Moroccan higher education is “going from strength to strength”, recalling that in 2024, the Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique (UM6P), which has a branch in France, joined the Top 500 universities in the “Times Higher Education” rankings.

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