“The Mediterranean country offers much more than meets the eye and is very attractive to manufacturers, both for testing and production”, indicated the Spanish site specializing in auto-motorcycle “Motor”.

The website’s specialists explain that in the automotive industry, Morocco is “increasingly gaining weight” internationally, in particular, because automotive brands are looking for locations to set up their factories where labor costs are cheaper, to generate more profit margins.

Indeed, the massive investment in the development of existing brands has helped to make the country an attractive choice for manufacturers, both for testing and production. Morocco is increasingly present on the international automotive industry scene, particularly as car brands seek locations to set up their plants where labor costs are lower to generate higher profit margins.

The Kingdom offers significant advantages for manufacturers, such as its strategic location at the gateway to Europe and Africa, as well as a well-developed transport infrastructure for the movement of cars between the two continents. Free trade agreements with Europe are also a key factor for car manufacturers. The country also benefits from a fast and efficient bureaucracy, offering manufacturers a favorable environment for their operations.

The “Motor” website points out that the automotive industry is heavily influenced by production costs, including labor costs and the cost of setting up assembly plants. Countries offering large areas for the installation of factories and cheaper labor are very attractive to manufacturers, and all car manufacturers are seeking to have a place there. This situation creates an ecosystem dedicated to the automobile industry.

The website mentions the example of car assembly and production plants in Eastern European countries and regrets that Morocco, which meets the same criteria, is often “forgotten”. However, thanks to the efforts of Stellantis and the Renault group, Morocco is beginning to gain more and more weight in the production of new cars.

Renault was one of the first manufacturers to put its trust in Morocco more than a decade ago, with the Tangiers factory producing six of the brand’s models, including the new Dacia Sandero. Stellantis markets the Citroën brands and already produces 450,000 cars per year at its plant in Kenitra. The new Citroën C3 will be produced in this same factory which aims to reach one million units per year by 2025.

Last December, an agreement was signed to manufacture the first Moroccan car for the local market, the Neo. This announcement marks the specialization of Morocco in the automobile industry and reinforces its position in this sector.

Read Also: 6.1 billion dirham road map aims to make tourism a vital part of the Moroccan economy

The post Morocco has become a leading country in the automotive industry appeared first on Morocco Telegraph.

Die Welt, a German daily newspaper, has recently published an article rega14825rding the vaccination campaign in Morocco

“A text message is enough and seconds later, Moroccans receive their vaccination appointment. The Kingdom has overtaken Germany in vaccination. And while Europe is in lockdown, life in Morocco is almost like it used to be.” wrote author of the article, Alfred Hackensberger, in his introductory paragraph, wondering what lies behind Morocco’ success in managing the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the newspaper’s report, the vaccination campaign is known to be a great success in terms of organization. So far, two and a half million Moroccans have received their first vaccinations in 2888 centers, and there are more than 100 thousand Moroccans who are vaccinated daily, including teachers, health professionals, police member…etc. The goal is to vaccinate 80% percent of the adult population, equivalent to 25 million people.

Compared to Germany, and some European countries that are witnessing the second phase of the pandemic – the report adds – the Kingdom of Morocco, is on its way to reach full immunization. At a time when the rate of the first and second vaccinations in Germany over a period of seven days reached 126 thousand people (806 per day), Morocco succeeded last week in vaccinating approximately 173,920 people per day; the Kingdom has therefore outshined its European neighbors during these difficult times.

Morocco, as stated in the report, has been distinguished by its rapid and strict reaction and proactive measures since the beginning of the pandemic, as the decision to close air and land borders was taken on March 13th, 2020, as soon as Covid-19 cases started to appear. Schools were closed, quarantine was announced for a period of more than four months, and a law was imposed on wearing protective masks. In return, the production of masks has been boosted, the once-suffering health system is back on its feet; as hospitals are now equipped with modern medical technology, new emergency clinics are built, and medicines are available in sufficient quantities.

For his part, Pr. Hicham Sbai, Head of resuscitation department for Covid-19 patients at Mohammed VI Hospital in Tangier, confirmed in his statement to Die Welt that Morocco’ success is owed to its national strategy in which all institutions and actors participate, stressing that Morocco is adopting the well-known anti-malarial drug “hydroxychloroquine” in treating Covid-19 patients and reducing death rate, despite controversy between European doctors and scientists regarding its effectiveness.

Morocco’s experience in managing the Covid-19 pandemic remains a true success story, as Pr. Hicham Sbai expressed to the German newspaper.

The post German Newspaper: Morocco is “The Vaccination Champion in North Africa” appeared first on Morocco Telegraph.

Five months after its first leader since 2007 was killed, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has appointed one of its executives as successor to the Algerian Abdelmalek Droukdel.

In a video received by SITE Intelligence – the American agency specialized in the surveillance of jihadist groups and other terror attacks – AQIM announces the appointment of its new leader, the Algerian Abou Oubaïda Youssef al-Annabi, current chief of his “Council of Notables”, which acts as the steering committee of the jihadist group.

According to the American think-tank Counter Extremism Project (CEP), this former member of the GSPC group (Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat or “Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication et le Combat”), registered on the American blacklist of “international terrorists” since September 2015, is also the leader of the media branch of AQIM and hence appears regularly in the group’s videos.

Following an operation carried by the France forces which are alongside Mali since 2012, the founder and historical leader of AQIM, Abdelmalek Droukdel was killed on June 3. Recently arrived from Algeria in northern Mali, the jihadist leader was accompanied by several of his relatives, executives of the organization he had founded in January 2007.

It’s good to note that AQIM has received allegiance from several jihadist groups still active in the Sahel since 2017 through the JNIM group (Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin) also called “GSIM” (Groupe de Soutien à l’Islam et aux Musulmans).

In the message published on 21/11/2020, AQIM also took a look back on the recent execution of a Swiss missionary (Béatrice Stockly) who was kidnapped since 2016, attributing the cause of her death to an attempt by the “French crusaders” to free her.

This new nomination should be another wakeup call towards the governments and security forces concerned by the AQIM operations (Mali precisely) as it’s of no use to cut a head if the snake has to grow another one faster and even add a new one. It has now been 8 great years that this war against terror has been going on in this area of the country and the death of the group’s leader should’ve been a solid opportunity for all the forces aimed at keeping peace in the region to strike harder.

The post Al-Qaeda Appoints New Leader appeared first on Morocco Telegraph.