Morocco becomes a regional automotive production platform
26 August 2009
Read by 1650 persons
Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi chaired the signing ceremony on Friday in Rabat of a framework agreement and six implementing agreements between Morocco and the Renault Nissan Alliance for the establishment of an industrial complex in the Tanger Med free zone.
The agreements, signed in the presence of the French and Japanese ambassadors, concern, among other things, the connection of the project site to the drinking water network, the supply of electricity and natural gas to the future complex, and the establishment of rail and motorway links. For the Prime Minister, the importance of this large-scale project lies both in its economic and social benefits and in the volume of investment. Indeed, the planned investment is around 600 million euros (with a first phase reaching 350 million euros) and the number of direct jobs likely to be created is 6,000 (30,000 indirect jobs).
According to officials on both sides, the Renault Nissan Alliance will begin construction work in January 2008. The majority of vehicles produced (90%) are intended for export and 60% of their components will be manufactured locally. The production capacity of this complex will be 200,000 units per year initially, reaching 400,000 from 2011.
As a reminder, when the memorandum of understanding was signed between Morocco and the Renault-Nissan Alliance concerning the establishment of this large industrial project, the government undertook to provide the Alliance with a 300-hectare plot of land, developed and serviced, located in the Melloussa free zone. The state also undertook to reserve areas for equipment manufacturers to be located around the plant and to provide them with an appropriate incentive system within the framework of the automotive offer of the Emergence plan.
The Prime Minister, who did not fail to welcome the signing of these agreements, emphasized the importance of this project "which will constitute one of the most important industrial achievements in the Kingdom and one of the most efficient automotive production centers in the Mediterranean region".
Abbas El Fassi also indicated that the signed agreements "reflect the commitment of the Moroccan government to support and succeed in this undertaking and reflect its confidence in the Renault-Nissan Alliance".
Furthermore, the government official stated that the policy of major structuring projects adopted by the Kingdom aimed to strengthen Morocco's infrastructure and make it "a regional platform for investment, production and exchange, attractive and efficient, located at the crossroads of the European Union and the Mediterranean area".
For his part, the representative of the Renault Tanger Méditerranée project company, Christian Estève, underlined the fundamental nature of the partnership between the two parties. He also indicated the magnitude of the task ahead for both sides. "What we are going to do is considerable, because we have to create a truly integrated automotive industry within three years", he declared, adding that Morocco "can count on Renault for the development of the automotive sector".
A good point which certainly constitutes a further positive note for the Kingdom, whose ambition to be an investment location is confirmed by each project.
Emergence
Clearly, the policy of structuring projects conducted by Morocco is beginning to bear fruit. Proof of this is the mega-project of Tanger Med which, barely inaugurated, is preparing to house one of the largest industrial projects ever undertaken in Morocco: a car assembly plant on a 300-hectare site in the Tanger Med special economic zone, with a production capacity of 200,000 vehicles per year from 2010.
According to many economic observers, Morocco is therefore beginning to reap the rewards of its policy of major projects and the proactive reforms undertaken by its government in recent years. It is difficult not to make the link between this project with undeniable socio-economic benefits and the Emergence plan which had made the development of the automotive industry a strategic axis of the Kingdom's industrial development.
This plan sets as its main objective to encourage foreign industrialists to invest in Morocco and to benefit from the advantages offered by our country in terms of infrastructure, logistics, taxation and qualified human resources.
Published on January 25, 2008
Le matin
The agreements, signed in the presence of the French and Japanese ambassadors, concern, among other things, the connection of the project site to the drinking water network, the supply of electricity and natural gas to the future complex, and the establishment of rail and motorway links. For the Prime Minister, the importance of this large-scale project lies both in its economic and social benefits and in the volume of investment. Indeed, the planned investment is around 600 million euros (with a first phase reaching 350 million euros) and the number of direct jobs likely to be created is 6,000 (30,000 indirect jobs).
According to officials on both sides, the Renault Nissan Alliance will begin construction work in January 2008. The majority of vehicles produced (90%) are intended for export and 60% of their components will be manufactured locally. The production capacity of this complex will be 200,000 units per year initially, reaching 400,000 from 2011.
As a reminder, when the memorandum of understanding was signed between Morocco and the Renault-Nissan Alliance concerning the establishment of this large industrial project, the government undertook to provide the Alliance with a 300-hectare plot of land, developed and serviced, located in the Melloussa free zone. The state also undertook to reserve areas for equipment manufacturers to be located around the plant and to provide them with an appropriate incentive system within the framework of the automotive offer of the Emergence plan.
The Prime Minister, who did not fail to welcome the signing of these agreements, emphasized the importance of this project "which will constitute one of the most important industrial achievements in the Kingdom and one of the most efficient automotive production centers in the Mediterranean region".
Abbas El Fassi also indicated that the signed agreements "reflect the commitment of the Moroccan government to support and succeed in this undertaking and reflect its confidence in the Renault-Nissan Alliance".
Furthermore, the government official stated that the policy of major structuring projects adopted by the Kingdom aimed to strengthen Morocco's infrastructure and make it "a regional platform for investment, production and exchange, attractive and efficient, located at the crossroads of the European Union and the Mediterranean area".
For his part, the representative of the Renault Tanger Méditerranée project company, Christian Estève, underlined the fundamental nature of the partnership between the two parties. He also indicated the magnitude of the task ahead for both sides. "What we are going to do is considerable, because we have to create a truly integrated automotive industry within three years", he declared, adding that Morocco "can count on Renault for the development of the automotive sector".
A good point which certainly constitutes a further positive note for the Kingdom, whose ambition to be an investment location is confirmed by each project.
Emergence
Clearly, the policy of structuring projects conducted by Morocco is beginning to bear fruit. Proof of this is the mega-project of Tanger Med which, barely inaugurated, is preparing to house one of the largest industrial projects ever undertaken in Morocco: a car assembly plant on a 300-hectare site in the Tanger Med special economic zone, with a production capacity of 200,000 vehicles per year from 2010.
According to many economic observers, Morocco is therefore beginning to reap the rewards of its policy of major projects and the proactive reforms undertaken by its government in recent years. It is difficult not to make the link between this project with undeniable socio-economic benefits and the Emergence plan which had made the development of the automotive industry a strategic axis of the Kingdom's industrial development.
This plan sets as its main objective to encourage foreign industrialists to invest in Morocco and to benefit from the advantages offered by our country in terms of infrastructure, logistics, taxation and qualified human resources.
Published on January 25, 2008
Le matin
