Tangier — Morocco aims to become the most competitive decarbonized automotive platform in the world, the Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour said on Wednesday in Tangier.

"Our goal is to make Morocco the most competitive decarbonized automotive platform in the world and increase the rate of local integration from 64% to 80%," the minister said at the opening of the 7th edition of the Automobile Meetings Tangier-Med (AMT), placed under the High Patronage of HM King Mohammed VI.

To do this, part of renewable energy will be made available to industrialists as part of an offer at very competitive rates, said Mezzour, noting that an incentive and tailored support is available to operators to this end.

"We are in the midst of a shift to sustainable mobility. Morocco has demonstrated its ability to produce electric vehicles and has begun its transition, as part of an ambitious energy strategy based on renewable energy, energy efficiency and regional integration," he said, adding that "Morocco is now an emerging platform for electric mobility."

Ambitions whose achievement remains closely linked to the competitiveness of the sector, said the Minister, stating that competitiveness is "an imperative for sustainability" for any industry.

Mezzour stressed that this event, back after the pandemic, comes in a particular context marked by the economic recovery and issues critical to the future of the sector, noting that Morocco, under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, has managed to seize the opportunities of the moment, thanks to a dynamic production and export unprecedented in the sector.

"Today, with a production capacity of 700,000 cars annually, the Kingdom remains the largest producer of cars in Africa," said Mezzour, adding that this dynamic has benefited from a pace of sustained investment throughout the last two years, with 31 projects worth a total of 6.5 billion dirhams, which will generate more than 26,000 jobs in the sector.