Morocco Taps into Untapped Potential of 5 Million Expatriates

This large heterogeneous community of Moroccans scattered around the world maintains a very strong link with Morocco. In his speech on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People, Mohammed VI winked at these MREs, insisting on "the strength of the bond that unites them indefectibly to their homeland, their attachment to its sacred symbols and their determined commitment to defend its supreme interests, whatever the problems and difficulties they face".

The attachment of MREs to Morocco is manifested in two ways. First, within the framework of the Marhaba Operation. This summer, 1,117,736 MREs and 270,754 vehicles entered Morocco through the various ports, between June 5 and August 29, according to government figures. An influx of MREs that has provided a breath of fresh air to the tourism sector, which has been severely affected by the Covid-19 health crisis. Then, through fund transfers. These reached a record level of 93.7 billion dirhams in 2021, an increase of 37.5% compared to 2020, according to a report by Bank Al-Maghrib (BAM).

Apart from these two aspects, MREs are almost absent from the political and public debate. "MREs must become a community [...] involved in the process of economic development. Since they have their own specificities, we must invent a new form of economic, cultural and religious ’link’," explained Amine Saâd, journalist and president of the Trophées des Marocains du monde foundation in an interview with MAP, stressing the need to institutionalize the relationship with MREs and integrate it into the dynamics of growth and development.

To attract MRE investment, Mohammed VI plans to "set up effective sponsorship, support and partnership mechanisms". This, to overcome the difficulties related to administrative procedures (14.0%) and the lack of tax incentives (8.6%), raised by MREs in a survey by the High Commission for Planning (HCP) published in 2020. According to the study, only 2.9% of MREs have carried out investment projects in Morocco, with a strong concentration in the real estate (40.7%), agriculture (19%) and construction (16.6%) sectors. Morocco should also draw on this pool of skills that MREs represent, of whom more than 400,000 have a Bac+5 level or higher.