The Moroccan Minister of Industry, Trade and Green and Digital Economy, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, has said that the Coronavirus pandemic has shown the reality of the Moroccan economy which is distinguished by its resilience.
Quoted by MAP news agency, Elalamy said at the opening of Morocco's Economic Week in Ireland, an event held in the form of webinar sessions open to economic operators from both countries, that "we have all been taken by surprise by the Covid-19 pandemic, during which the Moroccan economy has demonstrated its industrial response capacity in terms of innovation and responsiveness,".
"During this period, Morocco has produced masks, respirators, PCR sampling kits, and an all-Moroccan-made PCR test," he noted. The Kingdom has supplied several European countries that lacked masks, visors, and protective equipment, he added.
"Together, Europe and Morocco, we have discovered that we have a strong dependence in terms of imports, especially in the medical and paramedical field," Elalamy underlined.
According to the minister, the pandemic has accelerated "a mental evolution" in such a way that, like other countries, "this year we have achieved about five years of development in the digital field." This allows us to see the future differently.
"First, we realized that we can produce what we need, and to relocate at home several strategic activities in the medical and paramedical field," he said.
If the Moroccan economy has certainly suffered the pandemic, it has nevertheless cushioned the shock, except for the aerospace and tourism sectors, Elalamy explained.
"Our partners are accelerating investment in Morocco, which, long before the pandemic, has been a platform for production and export," thanks to its proven stability, its geostrategic position in the global trade, its proximity to Europe, and the competitiveness of its production costs, the minister said.
Elalamy also emphasized Morocco's resolve to decarbonize its entire industry through a strategy to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels by 52% by 2030.
