BCG consultants were received by ASMEX (Association marocaine des Exportateurs) officials as part of a study aimed at building a competitive Moroccan pavilion.

This meeting between BCG and ASMEX representatives took place at the association's headquarters on May 29, at the request of the Moroccan Minister of Transport and Logistics. Commissioned by the Ministry, the study by the American consulting giant aims to boost the maritime sector, one of the kingdom's "essential pillars of the economy and foreign trade".

Regaining maritime sovereignty

According to the ASMEX press release, the study will also look at how to capitalize on "the Tangier-Med, Nador West Med and Dakhla Atlantique ports" and their infrastructures, "both existing and under construction". Another challenge is to develop trade and shipping links between Morocco, West Africa and the Sahel, as well as Southern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean.

The BCG study involves four stages:

• An initial phase of "diagnosis, benchmarks, consultations and identification of strategic options";
• A second stage devoted to "analysis and comparison";
• A third "implementation plan" phase;
• And a fourth stage "to support the Administration in implementation".

The American consulting giant has been present in the Kingdom since 2009, with the opening of an office in Casablanca (BCG's first in Africa). The office is currently headed by Hamid Maher, who is also head of the firm's Tech Hub in Africa.

A mission already initiated by BCG

Contacted by the Moroccan business newspaper Médias24, Abdelaziz Mantrach, vice-president of ASMEX and chairman of the association's logistics division, said that the BCG study was "in progress. Information from all ecosystem partners will be taken into consideration". ASMEX is being consulted in this respect.

BCG's assignment for the Ministry of Transport and Logistics falls within the broader framework of King Mohammed VI's ambitions for his country, set out on November 6, 2023, namely (among others):

"Mastering the full potential of Morocco's maritime sector, boosting shipping activity and equipping Morocco with an instrument of national sovereignty."

After a boom period from 1970 to 1990, Morocco saw its fleet shrink significantly. Today, the majority of transport between Moroccan ports is carried out under foreign flags. According to Abdelaziz Mantrach, the aim is to "reserve the transport of strategic products to the Moroccan flag, to restore its logistical sovereignty".

Another challenge is the ability to "serve the West African coast and Sahel countries to establish South-South cooperation". The aim is to achieve both economic and human development.

Among the main difficulties encountered by Moroccan exporters are the high cost of freight due to the monopoly of foreign shipowners, excessive transport times, with most lines operating by transshipment via European ports, and the lack of regularity in the frequency of lines, particularly to other African countries. The results of the BCG study could be unveiled at the end of July 2024.

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