Our EiA visit to Casablanca was primarily to meet with two specific clients. Both meetings proved to be beneficial on two fronts; firstly we were able to understand their individual requirements for forthcoming future senior hires and how Executives in Africa can assist them. Secondly, we were able to expand on our knowledge of how Morocco has become a business hub for North Africa and a gateway to the rest of Africa, which has given us broad insight on how businesses need to operate in this diverse and fast moving environment.

Within Morocco, a huge percentage of the country’s production comes out of an area known as ‘Greater Casablanca’, covering the city and the surrounding suburbs. Casablanca is the first ‘multimodal’ logistical platform (railway, sea port, airport and motorway links) in Morocco with 55% of foreign trade, 80% of overall air-freighted goods, and 51% of temporary transactions coming through the district.

The city is also the first North African ‘professional district’ with more than 1.4 million m² of office space. Casablanca has become a strategic export hub with close proximity and free-trade agreements with the U.S., the EU, Turkey and the Arab world. Around 44% of Morocco’s industrial production, 33% of national industrial exports and 30% of the Moroccan banking network are concentrated here, making Casablanca a focal point for local and international investors and entrepreneurs.

There are 3 major sectors in the Greater Casablanca area, off-shoring, the aero-space industry and the automotive industry. As one client explained, the government offers incentives to multinational organisations looking to establish themselves in Morocco in the form of tax subsidies, construction or assistance towards infrastructure improvements. This has led not only to an influx of industrial and manufacturing companies but also an increasing amount of financial services companies establishing themselves in the country. These incentives and the stable political climate all go towards enhancing Morocco’s further development and growth.

James Stevenson Executive Consultant

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