HM the King Chairs in Rabat Launch Ceremony of New Renault Group’s Project ‘Renault Ecosystem’

PERSISMA, Rabat – HM King Mohammed VI, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, chaired on Friday in the Rabat royal palace, the launch ceremony of the new project by the Renault group in Morocco “Renault Ecosystem”, a project that will place the Kingdom’s car industry on the international scene.

At the beginning of the ceremony, an institutional film was screened to show the progress witnessed in the national industrial sector over the past years thanks to the industrial acceleration plan dated April 2, 2014.

On this occasion, minister of industry, trade, investment and digital economy Moulay Hafid Elalamy gave a speech before HM the King in which he presented the broad lines of the said project which testifies to the trust Morocco enjoys internationally on the back of the country’s stability, attractiveness and good governance.

The minister added that the new project, worth 10 billion dirhams, consists of developing an international supply platform, noting that the said project has an additional turnover of 20 billion dirhams yearly, thus increasing threefold the amount of manufactured parts purchased by Renault on the Moroccan territory.

This ecosystem will treble the number of jobs created by Renault, generating 50,000 new permanent jobs, Moulay Hafid Elalamy said, underlining that the training of new executives will be provided by proven mechanisms in the automobile sector.

Renault’s new commitment is part of co-location which can be beneficial for France and Morocco, the minister added, noting that the project will achieve a local integration of 65%. “With this level of integration, we will reach the size needed by many components manufacturers to gain a foothold in Morocco”, he said.

“We will start, today in Tangiers, with the convention of “Renault components manufacturers” bringing together over 600 people to make the project fully operational,” he announced. Highlighting the positive impact of the industrial acceleration plan and the re-structuring of the industrial sector with effective and inclusive ecosystems, the official noted that Morocco succeeded, thanks to this industrial strategy, to integrate in a record time the in-group of 31 countries producing and exporting engines.

The automobile ecosystems will double, by the year 2020, the number of jobs to reach over 160,000, in addition, automobile exports will reach over 100 billion dirhams per year, he said.

For his part, Renault Chairman for Africa-Middle East-India Region Bernard Cambier said that, through the “Renault Ecosystem” project, the French group intends to boost its industrial and commercial presence in the Kingdom.

He underlined the untiring action by the Moroccan government, under HM the King’s leadership, to promote education and training notably in the automobile sector via the creation, for example, of institutes for training on automobile-related jobs.

“These assets place Morocco among countries that made progress in the field of industrial manufacturing quality. The quality of +Made in Morocco+ products is recognized by our group. One of the challenges facing the ecosystem is to continue progress in this area and ensure excellence,” he added.

Prospects of development are very important for all actors of Renault ecosystem as they rely on the Moroccan market’s dynamism and the growth of exports, in addition to the development of the Iberian base, he said.

He also mentioned other fields to promote the development of the Moroccan base as spare parts, toolmaking, engineering at competitive costs and supply of equipment.

On this occasion, HM the King chaired the signing ceremony of three agreements related to the said project. The first agreement is a framework-agreement on the setting up of the Renault ecosystem. It was inked by economy minister Mohamed Boussaid, Moulay Hafid Elalamy and Bernard Cambier.

The second agreement, related to the industrial real estate, was signed mainly by interior minister Mohamed Hassad, Mohamed Boussaid, Moulay Hafid Elalamy and Bernard Cambier.

The third agreement is related to the training of executives and vocational training in the automobile sector. It was inked notably by Mohamed Boussaid, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Bernard Cambier, Rachid Belmokhtar, minister of national education and vocational training, Lahcen Daoudi, minister of higher education, scientific research and executives’ training, Abdesslam Seddiki, minister of employment and social affairs and director general of Renault Maroc Marc Nassif.

The ceremony was attended mainly by the head of government, speakers of the two houses of parliament, HM the King’s Advisors, government officials and others.

At the end of the ceremony, HM the King offered a reception in honor of the figures attending the event.