Economic Crisis Hits Morocco as Border Closures Devastate Informal Trade Sector

The Moroccan informal sector is currently experiencing an unprecedented crisis. The mythical Derb Ghalef market in Casablanca, which is supplied with smuggled products, has been deserted for several months. The merchants of this great market in the kingdom are in the doldrums. While some electronics and appliance merchants have turned to selling local food products as stocks are depleted, others have had to close their stores, reports Maroc Hebdo, indicating that misery is rather prevalent with the Covid-19 crisis, which has exacerbated the economic situation.

The Director General of Customs Administration, Nabil Lakhder, is rather pleased with this situation, even though he is sensitive to the ordeal of the "mule women" who are now without a source of income. "You have to know that a job in smuggling kills about ten jobs in the formal economy," he stressed. But for now, it is thousands of families who are suffering, awaiting the effective implementation of the state’s decision regarding their conversion to the formal sector.

The promised new industrial zone in Tangier is still awaited, notes the same source, adding that poverty is growing, with the fear of a rise in crime in the country. The misery produced by the closure of the borders risks generating an uncontrollable situation if nothing is done in the short term, warns the same source.