Although they represent only 31% of all companies in this sector, the manufacture of insulated wires and cables, as well as electrical distribution and control equipment, make up 86% of exports, 79% of investments, 72% of production and 65% of the added value of the electrical industry.
The electrical sector has shown great dynamism since the launching the Global Rural Electrification Programme (PERG) in 1995, carried out mainly by Moroccan companies with locally manufactured products.
The programs to reduce the housing shortage also had a positive impact on the sector, insofar as Moroccan companies have managed to adapt their products to the needs of different social strata.
The National Federation of Electricity, Electronics and Renewable Energies (FENELEC) is working with the Delegate Ministry in charge of foreign trade and with “Maroc Export” as part of the national strategy for the promotion of Moroccan exports, actively participating in export caravans organized in a number of African countries. The Electrical sector is resolutely outward-facing, especially toward the African market, in particular exporting Morocco's expertise in the field of rural electrification.
The national strategy in the field of renewable energy opens further growth prospects for the sector (solar energy, wind energy, energy efficiency).
Main companies of the sector:
ABB, NEXANS, INGELEC, CEGELEC, SIMON INTERNATIONAL, OMNIUM GENERAL D’ELECTRICITE (OGE), SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC, EATON ELECTRIC
Appropriate and targeted support is provided to companies in the ecosystems regarding finance, industrial land and training.
The Industrial Development Fund (FDI), operational since 1 January 2015, allocates 3 billion dirhams per year for the period 2014-2120 to ecosystem companies to enable them to realize their ambitions in upgrading, development and internationalization.
State support is also backed up with integrated and competitive bank financing.
The ecosystem companies can also:
Under the Investment Charter, the FPI offers partial coverage by the Government of certain expenses related to the acquisition of property (up to 20% of the cost of land), external infrastructure (up to 5% of the total amount of the investment programme, or 10% in the case of an investment in the sector of spinning, weaving or finishing) and vocational training (up to 20% of the cost of the training).
These contributions may be combined as long as the total contribution of the state does not exceed 5% of the total investment programme; or 10% in the case of investment in the sector of spinning, weaving or finishing; or when the investment project is located in a suburban or rural area.
Eligibility criteria:
The investment project must meet at least one of the following five criteria:
Tax incentives are provided for by article 123-22°-a) of the General Tax Code and Article 7.1 of finance law No. 12-98 for the 1998/9 budget year as amended and supplemented by the following:
SMEs in the sector may benefit from special support within the programmes developed by the National Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (ANPME):
A free trade zone (ZFE) is a specified area of land devoted to export activities for industrial purposes and related service activities. Each free zone is created and delimited by a decree that determines the nature and business activities that can be established there.
The operational free trade zones are located at Tangier (Tanger Free Zone – TFZ and Tanger Automotive City – TAC), at Kenitra (Atlantic Free Zone – AFZ), at Casablanca (Midparc), at Rabat (Technopolis) and at Oujda (Technopole d’Oujda).
To obtain free zone status under law No. 19-94, companies must have obtained authorization from the local commission of the free export zone, which is presided over by the wali or governor of the region, and must make at least 70% of their turnover from exports.
Free zone status allows for the exemption of foreign trade and exchange controls, as well as access to the following state aid:
Tax incentives resulting in:
Customs benefits:
Administrative facilitations:
Tax assistance dedicated to offshore companies has been provided, namely:
Moreover, under the Industrial Acceleration Plan, an agreement was concluded with the national telecommunications operators with the goal of improving the telecommunications services offered to the companies of the sector (CRM, ITO and BPO) in order to increase their competitiveness.
Various public and private teaching institutions offer training courses targeting a number of offshoring sectors.
In parallel the Call Academy programme is intended to meet the needs of the call centre industry through the training of employees in the French language and in customer relations. The state offers a contribution to training in the sector of up to 65,000 dirhams per person.
The training of human resources is a strategic activity of the Industrial Acceleration Plan 2014-2020. The availability and quality of human resources determine the attractiveness of Morocco as a destination, and increase the productivity and competitiveness of the companies.
Amongst other things the strategy aims at providing the ecosystems in place with skilled profiles.
The detailed mapping of training needs - with a quantification of the human resource requirements by sector, profile, region and year - and the identification of training opportunities available in Morocco are ongoing, which will enable the development of a national training plan.
Consult the list of training needs for performance contracts signed by end - May 2017
General and sectoral Integrated Industrial Platforms (P2I), possibly benefiting from the free zone status, guarantee the availability of property at an attractive price, comprehensive and diverse real-estate and logistics options conforming to the best international standards, as well as on-site services and a one stop shop for administration.
In the framework of the Industrial Acceleration Plan, the Ministry plans for the mobilization of 1,000 hectares to create Integrated Industrial Rental Parks (PIL) with turnkey premises: each park will include a one stop shop for administration, a local job pool, ad hoc services and a training programme.