Morocco Poised to Capitalize on Electric Vehicle Battery Production Boom

Morocco already has cobalt, fluorite or phosphate, essential for the manufacture of batteries. Thus, the kingdom could make quite a profit in this industrial competition when it comes to the manufacture of electric batteries. In addition, "the Kingdom can source lithium from the ZLECAF member countries, or bauxite and export the finished batteries to Europe, all without customs or tariff barriers," said Anas Abdoun, noting that "in addition to being at the center of the supply chain due to its trade agreements, Morocco is at the geographic center, thus ensuring a very low cost of importing raw materials and exporting to the markets."

Furthermore, "the construction of such a national battery production company can make the difference, in that it creates an industrial precedent in the field and gives the guarantee of know-how to the major manufacturers who, for many of them, ignore the economic technical mutations that are taking place in Africa." Thus, the Ministry of Industry can pilot and create a Moroccan battery production plant, he added, specifying that "such an industrial project coupled with the Green Energy Park, which is itself the result of the synergy between OCP, IRESEN and the Mohammed 6 Polytechnic University, allows the training of technicians and engineers capable of mastering the constant technological developments around batteries."

In addition, with all the assets it has, the country will be able to manufacture several electric vehicle components for the future. However, "Morocco’s main problem in this global production competition lies in its intangible capital," Abdoun observed. "Despite the presence of mineral resources, modern port infrastructure, geographic proximity to the European market and a low labor cost, manufacturers do not have a guarantee as to the quality of our workforce, especially on highly technological productions such as electric batteries," he is concerned, wishing for the financing of the Mohammed VI Fund for Investment, as this project has a good chance of paying off for Morocco.