Morocco - the next NIC?

Photo: NASA

Large industrial zones near the Moroccan city of Tangier suggest that globalisation continues in certain parts of the world. One of these zones is home to Africa’s biggest car-assembly factory, driven by investment from companies from Europe (Renault), the Middle East, China, Japan, and the US. Nearby, there is a port project, Tanger Med, conceived 20 years ago by King Mohammed VI. The port is now one of the busiest in the Mediterranean.

The idea behind these two schemes was that Morocco would sit at the crossroads of a peaceful world teeming with trade and capital flows. Foreign investment would flock in, auto and aerospace industries (Airbus and Boeing) would be established, employing tens of thousands of young Moroccans, and as a result local engineering schools would thrive.

The two schemes have largely succeeded. Although Morocco’s security ties are firmly linked to the US and Europe - along with Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, the Muslim kingdom hosts the US and NATO forces for ‘African Lion’ training exercises each year - China’s economic presence is also growing.

A Tanger Tech Smart city is being planned with Chinese investment. Two Chinese companies, Huawei and ZTE - two tech giants sanctioned by the US over national security risk concerns - are recruiting engineers with a view to establishing here. The fibre-optic cable producer ZTT Group, part of Beijing’s plan to crisscross the planet with Belt and Road infrastructure, has also expressed an interest. Some economists suggest there could be up to 200 Chinese companies moving into the new ‘Tech City’.

So, it appears that Morocco is walking a diplomatic and economic tightrope in an increasingly polarised, yet still globalised, world.