The reshaping of global supply chains, accelerated by recent health, geopolitical, and energy crises, is redrawing the map of international competitiveness. Companies are no longer looking solely for locations that offer low production costs. They are increasingly prioritizing ecosystems that combine political stability, proximity to key markets, secure logistics, skilled talent, and innovation capacity.
That shift dominated discussions at the second edition of the Assises de l’Excellence Achats, organized by the National Procurement Council of Morocco (CNA Maroc) under the theme “Innovate, Collaborate, Perform in Tomorrow’s Procurement.” Gathered in Marrakech, industrial executives, procurement leaders, and industry experts shared a common assessment that Morocco now has a historic opportunity to turn its geographic position into a lasting economic advantage.
For Abdelkarim Aït Brik, CEO of Air Arabia, the Kingdom has already moved beyond the stage of ambition.
“We are no longer imagining a new role. We are already there,” he said.
The challenge now, he argued, is to move beyond Morocco’s image as a country attractive primarily because of its location or competitive labor costs and instead embrace its role as a connector between European economies and a rapidly transforming African continent.
The shift reflects a broader transformation. Rather than being viewed simply as a strategic crossroads between continents, Morocco is positioning itself as a place where goods, technology, investment, expertise, and talent all circulate.
Stability emerges as a competitive advantage
The evolution of global value chains is also changing how manufacturers choose industrial locations. While cost remains important, it is no longer the sole deciding factor.
Zakarya Aarab, procurement director at Hydrojeel, said multinational companies are increasingly seeking environments that can ensure business continuity. Political, economic, and regulatory stability has therefore become a decisive factor in investment decisions.
According to Aarab, Morocco has gradually built a competitive edge through the development of robust industrial ecosystems. Successes in the automotive and aerospace industries demonstrate the Kingdom’s ability to provide reliable, secure, and integrated supply chains that meet the requirements of major international manufacturers.
The trend reflects a broader shift in global trade. Companies are becoming less focused on minimizing costs than on reducing risk. Resilience is increasingly becoming a core element of competitiveness.
A unique position between Europe and Africa
Fouad Ouassou, a member of CNA Maroc’s executive committee and CEO of Smart SMX, placed that transformation within a broader economic context.
In his view, the France-Morocco-Africa corridor is more than a geographical route. It connects three economies at different stages of development.
France represents a highly industrialized, service-oriented economy focused on advanced technologies and high-value products. Much of sub-Saharan Africa, meanwhile, remains centered on developing its natural resources. Between those two economic spheres, Morocco occupies a particularly advantageous position thanks to its accelerating industrialization.
That positioning gives the Kingdom the potential to serve as an economic integration platform capable of facilitating technology transfers, industrial partnerships, and the development of new continental value chains.
The discussion extends well beyond logistics. It reflects Morocco’s ability to connect multiple economic regions through a shared industrial dynamic.
Participants also emphasized that the next phase of Morocco’s industrial development will depend on more than attracting new factories.
For Aït Brik, priorities should include innovation, workforce development, and the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards. Those factors are becoming just as important to investors as production costs.
He also highlighted the importance of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Morocco’s proximity to Europe reduces shipping times and indirect logistics costs compared with Asian manufacturing hubs, while production costs remain competitive relative to many European countries. However, he stressed that this advantage will prove temporary unless it is reinforced through investment in emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and the industries developing around it.
In other words, Morocco will sustain its competitiveness only by creating greater technological and intellectual value.
Human capital as the primary strategic investment
That challenge points directly to another key issue: skills.
According to Aït Brik, financing is not the main obstacle to industrial development. Capital naturally flows toward economies capable of generating sustainable value.
The real challenge is building a highly skilled workforce able to support technological transformation, advanced manufacturing, and the evolving needs of international investors.
Aarab echoed that view, arguing that Morocco’s future competitiveness will depend heavily on the ability of its small and medium-sized enterprises to meet international standards for quality, environmental performance, safety, and corporate governance. Continued investment in education, technical training, and higher education will therefore be essential to expanding the country’s industrial supplier base.
The objective goes beyond attracting foreign investment. It is also about enabling Moroccan companies to secure a larger role within global value chains.
Participants also highlighted a less visible but equally significant transformation: the changing role of procurement.
Once focused primarily on negotiating prices, procurement is increasingly becoming a tool for industrial and regional development.
Ouassou illustrated the point through his experience with mining projects across Africa. Procurement departments, he said, no longer simply select suppliers. They help build local business ecosystems capable of supporting major industrial investments.
He cited an example from Guinea, where a project that initially relied on only two or three local suppliers had, within four years, expanded to more than 100 domestic companies, creating jobs, supporting formal economic activity, and strengthening local capabilities.
The example reflects a broader shift in competitiveness. Large corporations increasingly seek long-term partners capable of supporting sustainable growth rather than simply offering the lowest prices.
From nearshoring to “energyshoring”
Discussions at the conference also looked beyond the now well-established concept of nearshoring.
For Aarab, Morocco’s next step is to move from a “Made in Morocco” model to one that is “Designed and Engineered in Morocco.” The Kingdom should no longer focus solely on manufacturing. It must also design, develop, innovate, and control more high-value segments of industrial production.
Recent crises have also demonstrated that energy security is becoming a key driver of industrial competitiveness. Countries capable of providing reliable, sustainable, and competitively priced energy will enjoy an increasing advantage in attracting international investment.
According to Aarab, Morocco’s investments in energy infrastructure, together with ongoing regulatory reforms, are already strengthening its appeal. The planned Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline also reflects the country’s ambition to integrate energy more closely into its industrial development strategy.
For Aït Brik, the partnership between France and Morocco should no longer be viewed solely through the historical lens of French-speaking Africa. Instead, African markets should be evaluated according to their economic potential, demographic trends, emerging middle class, infrastructure needs, and long-term growth prospects, regardless of their linguistic heritage.
That vision reflects the evolution of Morocco’s economic diplomacy. Rather than serving merely as a commercial intermediary, the Kingdom aims to become a key architect of emerging continental value chains, bringing together European industrial interests and Africa’s expanding economic opportunities.
