‘In order to build the future of Europe, we need to focus on Africa’, says AMDIE
“In order to build the future of Europe, we need to focus on Africa,” Ali Seddiki, general director of the Moroccan Agency for Investment and Export Development, told The Big Question.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/06/02/in-order-to-build-the-future-of-europe-we-need-to-focus-on-africa-says-amdie
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“In order to build the future of Europe, we need to focus on Africa,” Ali Seddiki, general director of the Moroccan Agency for Investment and Export Development, told The Big Question.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/06/02/in-order-to-build-the-future-of-europe-we-need-to-focus-on-africa-says-amdie
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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00:00In order to build the future of Europe, we need to focus on Africa.
00:03We are also the only country in Africa to have a free trade agreement
00:06with Europe and the United States.
00:09When we commit, we deliver.
00:16Welcome to The Big Question.
00:19Now, this is a series from Euronews where we speak to some of the most
00:23influential people in the world of business.
00:26And it's my pleasure to welcome to the stage this evening for this special episode
00:32Mr Ali Siddiqui, General Director of AMDI,
00:36the Moroccan Agency for Investment and Export Development.
00:41Pleasure to have you on the show, Mr Siddiqui.
00:43Thank you for having me.
00:43Take a seat.
00:44So lots to talk about, Mr Siddiqui.
00:46But first of all, let's start off by talking about how Morocco has emerged,
00:52of course, as we know, as a gateway between Europe and Africa.
00:56Can you just talk us through how the kingdom is leveraging its strategic position
01:02to foster regional growth and attract long-term partnerships?
01:07I would say that the first thing that has been spoken about Morocco was stability.
01:17Morocco is the second oldest monarchical system in history.
01:21This is the ground and the foundation of our nation.
01:24And that gives us the ability to project and to have long-term planning.
01:30So combining stability with vision, I think, is the first and most important asset
01:36Morocco was able to provide investors with at a time where there is a lot of uncertainty in the world.
01:42On top of that, we have the best graded economy in Africa.
01:46Even our grade was upgraded last year.
01:49We went from BB plus with stable outlook to positive outlook.
01:53And now we're talking about something that happened after COVID, after the energy crisis.
01:57So it's telling of our capacity to provide our partners with a stable environment overall.
02:04This stability led to another leading asset of Morocco, which is a world-class infrastructure.
02:09We're not an oil and gas country, so building the quality, the infrastructure with this quality
02:16in Morocco took sophistication and dedication and engagement.
02:22And this helped us build world-class industrial ecosystems.
02:27If you add to that the fact that we are one of the most open economies in the world,
02:30we have free trade agreements with 90 countries, more than 55 free trade agreements,
02:34that open a market of more than 2.5 billion consumers worldwide.
02:38And we are also the only country in Africa to have a free trade agreement with Europe and the United States.
02:46Fun fact, we're also the closest country to Europe to have a free trade agreement with the United States.
02:51So again, the openness was part of the recipe.
02:54And to add to that, human capital, trained, educated, with an average age of 29,
03:00which is compared to Western Europe, you know, the average age is 44.
03:04And at a time where you have shortages in talents, in HR, this is the greatest asset of Morocco.
03:12And last but not least, and this is something that is difficult to explain because you actually need to experience it.
03:17Morocco is execution-driven.
03:20When we commit, we deliver.
03:22We honor our signature.
03:24And to take very simple examples, when you're in one of our special economic zones
03:29and you request a construction permit, it takes less than two weeks.
03:33So we are dedicated and we're execution-driven.
03:36What specific incentives or reforms has Morocco introduced recently
03:47to make the investment process essentially easier and more transparent for European businesses?
03:54Even from years ago, we've been adapting the regulatory framework to be compatible to the one in Europe.
04:00And a European investor in Morocco, I mean, does not think that the environment is different from the one he has in Europe.
04:07I'm talking about the regulatory framework.
04:10On top of that, His Majesty the King Mohamed VI in 2021 called for a complete new charter for investment,
04:17which would provide, of course, incentives for investors.
04:21But even more than that, it works on creating a suitable environment for investors, less bureaucracy,
04:29more efficiency in the way we deal with the administrative processes.
04:34And a dedicated ministry for investors has been created to assist and to help and support investors.
04:42And, of course, there is the Moroccan Agency for Investment and Export Development
04:45that was specifically created to help investors answer the question and provide end-to-end services.
04:53And we work as a one-stop shop for any kind of investor.
04:57And Morocco has also been making strides, Mr. Siddiqui, in the renewable energy sectors.
05:01How are you encouraging investment into Morocco's green economy, particularly from Europe again?
05:08To be frank, we don't really need to encourage investments in the green energy or the green economy sector,
05:15because now people know and understand that Morocco has a key role to play, and they come by themselves.
05:21What we do, of course, we support them and we connect them with any stakeholder in the industry in Morocco.
05:28IRENA, which is the International Renewable Energy Agency,
05:31estimated the potential, the capacity for green energy generation in Morocco of more than 40,000 gigawatts.
05:40This is huge, enough to power the entire European continent.
05:45It's a fact.
05:46What we want to make sure of is that this potential is used to impact positively the Moroccan economy.
05:54We, as I said, we have a great young population entering the job market.
05:58That's a huge opportunity, but also it's a challenge.
06:00We need to create jobs.
06:02So now the strategy is how can we leverage our natural resource, sustainable resource,
06:07in order to create sustainable jobs for our young people entering the job market.
06:13And the good news, they're talented, skilled and educated.
06:16So investors are now working.
06:18We're working with them in order to build together this Euro-Mediterranean green economy.
06:24Looking to the future, Mr. Siddiqui.
06:26Let's look ahead to 2030.
06:27What's your vision for Morocco's role in the global economy?
06:33And how critical will partnerships with Europe be in achieving that vision?
06:37Well, the vision is pretty clear.
06:40As I said, Morocco is a world-class hub for sustainable investment and trade.
06:45So we do everything to keep on supporting this Moroccan value proposition.
06:50When we discuss with our European counterpart, we understand that green and ESG compatible industries are important for Europeans.
06:58They are also looking for additional cost efficiency, competitiveness, and also for future markets.
07:04And so Morocco has that opportunity to be a medium between Europe and the rest of Africa, building the continent.
07:13I mean, Morocco is definitely a market of the present, but Africa is also the market of the future.
07:18And if you want to make sure that we have all the elements required in order to build the future of Europe, we need to focus on Africa.
07:25This is exactly what Morocco has done.
07:27And so our agenda for 2030 is pretty clear.
07:29It means keeping on sharing our experiences with the rest of our continent.
07:33It's also putting ourselves as a great partner to Europe.
07:37And clearly, we think that Morocco is part of the solution for the European companies.
07:42Thank you very much for sharing your insights with us on The Big Question.
07:46It's been a pleasure to have you on the show.
07:48And thank you very much to all our viewers at home for watching.
07:51See you again next time.
07:53We'll see you again next time.