Casablanca Stock Exchange stepping up to finance the Moroccan economy

Morocco - Having weathered the global financial meltdown, the Casablanca Stock Exchange (la Bourse de Casablanca) is stepping up to its central role of financing the Moroccan economy. Over the next few years, Africa's third-largest bourse seeks to double its number of listed companies and more than quadruple its number of investors.

At the end of September, CSE head Karim Haji told international press, "Our goal is to draw 75 new companies by 2015." He added that the bourse was currently eyeing 500 companies for potential listing. This target corresponds to the government's greater drive to modernise the financial market and establish Morocco as a financial hub for Africa.

Only 77 companies are currently listed on the CSE, due in part to a wave of delistings in 2008. Buyouts were responsible for a number of companies, including paper maker Le Carton and life insurer La Marocaine Vie, removing their shares from the market. Market depth also presents a challenge, with only 20 companies trading daily. Small and medium-sized companies (SMEs), accounting for 95% the economy, are underrepresented on the stock market. As well, despite Morocco's strong ties to francophone Africa, no foreign companies are listed.

However, the CSE's paucity of listings belies its market value. For a brief period in 2009, Morocco's stock exchange surpassed Egypt's to become the continent's second largest, trailing South Africa's Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Many foreign investors may still see Morocco as a small market, possibly due to a substantial delisting by the regulator 10 years ago for infractions that brought the number of companies listed to 42.

The bourse's expansion strategy includes increasing its investor base. "We also aim to have 500,000 active individual investors by 2015 versus roughly 120,000 now," Haji stated. A major selling point is that the CSE has had the world's highest average annual investor gain - 15% - for the past 10 years and capitalisation has increased five times over that period.

Another gambit to attract investors to Morocco is setting up a derivatives market for swaps, futures and commodities trading. With the draft law currently being reviewed in parliament, Haji predicts that the derivatives market could be up and running within 18 months.

With limited correlation to international markets, the CSE fared better than other African stock exchanges in the financial crisis, falling less than 14% in 2008, while Saudi Arabia's Tadawul All Share Index's took a 57% dive. The primary reason for this is foreign investors account for only 5% of the market. Trading volume was more affected, retreating 32%, while capitalisation stood at €48bn at the end of July 2009, down from a March 2008 high of €63bn. However, the government expects the economy to remain resilient, with 5.4% growth expected in 2009.

Haji told international press that Morocco wants to become "a stepping stone for investors from the US, Asia, Europe and the Middle East looking for opportunities to diversify investments." One subgroup specifically being targeted is Moroccan expatriates, who have traditionally invested in real estate. However, to attract them to the stock market, the entire financial system needs to mobilise. "The stock market may set up promotion and communication incentives, but ultimately it is the investment banks that will convince entrepreneurs to list their companies and will assist them in the process," Haji told OBG. He also mentioned that the government should renew a five-year tax exemption of up to 50%, which gives companies an incentive to float shares. Another strategy being considered is allowing foreign firms to list in Casablanca and repatriate the money raised.

Following a record number of initial public offerings (IPOs) in 2007, only five took place in 2008 due to unfavourable market conditions. All were oversubscribed by individual investors betting on post-IPO rallies, though stock in four of these companies fell after they went public. No IPOs have taken place in 2009 so far and none are expected for the remainder of the year.

Hassan Ait Ali, the CEO of Upline Corporate Finance, told OBG that market participants want laws incentivising long-term investment, as well as general financial reform. "The CSE operators need to focus more on marketing its stability, transparency and technology to international actors. Morocco could become a hub for Western/sub-Saharan African investments and the bourse has developed the necessary know-how, but we need to work on extending the reach and exposure of the market," he said.

Offshoring: hampered by skills shortage in Morocco

The arrival of Western Offshoring Companies , SSII, attracted by Moroccan government incentives, has led to salary inflation of IT expertise in Morocco. Especially because the Government had initially focused its training efforts on the BPO, Business Process Outsourcing, market that is still struggling to take off.
Wage inflation, lack of IT profiles, and difficulty in finding on-site expertise. The opinions of those were interviewed converge: the takeoff of the Kingdom in the off shoring has not proceeded smoothly. In the first case, human resources available are relatively limited. Hence the rush of recruiters that has compounded the arrival of many western SSII, attracted by the incentives put in place by the Moroccan government.

A key factor is a surge in wages, including those or profiles of IT engineers. If the salary of a technician is around 4 000 dirhams per month (350 euros), the salary of an engineer is between 10 000 and 12 000 dirhams (between 890 and 1 070 euros). This salary may double within three to four years. "The economic slow down has calmed down wages in call centers, says Zniber Amine, Regional Director of the school Supinfo Morocco (see the interview video below in French). But it triggered a wage inflation among IT engineers accelerated with the arrival on new foreign High tech Companies.
The surge in wages, a benefit to employees, jeopardizes the takeoff of the offshore sector, which is based primarily on settlement activities of large software houses. But if salary inflation continues, they might be tempted to turn to cheaper countries. Of course, the Moroccan government has implemented a program to boost the number of engineers trained each year (15 000 per year by 2013), especially through the establishment of schools as Supinfo, while providing means for employers to adapt the available expertise (through participation in training costs).

But this effort will put a few more years to produce fruit. Especially since the Moroccan government had not relied at the outset on the development of BPO (Business Process Outsourcing), rather than offshore computer High tech. As explained in an interview with the Moroccan Minister of Industry, Trade and New Technologies Ahmed Reda Chami, "anticipation of our departure has led us to train more profiles than profiles BPO ITO (ITOutsourcing). We have therefore launched an operation to catch up, ForShore 3000, to reclassify 3 000 people on the trades of the ITO in six to nine months. "
“There is a real shortage" said Reydet-Rousselet Isabelle, manager of CMC2, a consulting and communications firm based in Casablanca, although a number of companies are trying to fill this gap by returning Moroccan expats, MRE, an acronym widely used in designating the Moroccans residing abroad. An HR bonanza that was used by the Indian TCS to run its subsidiary based in Casa-near-shore, the area dedicated to off-shoring installed on the outskirts of the economic capital.

A Last challenge for recruiters: navigate through the labyrinth of training. To form a young population - and meet the expectations of companies being set up - private schools are mushrooming in major cities of Morocco.
"for the level Bac +2, accreditation work has been done by the authorities. But for higher education, accreditation work is still ongoing." Said Supinfo director Zniber Amine, he believes that diplomas issued by schools should be approved next year.

Renault says on track to build plant in Morocco-CEO

RABAT, June 15 (Reuters) - France's No.2 carmaker Renault (RENA.PA) is going ahead with plans to build a factory to produce low-cost vehicles in Morocco despite the global downturn, the company's chief said on Monday.

The media in Morocco and abroad cast doubt on whether the factory would be built after the deepening economic crisis forced Japan's Nissan Motor Co (7201.T), which is in an alliance with Renault, to withdraw from the project early this year.

The project, being done in partnership with the Moroccan government, was announced in September. At the time the Renault-Nissan alliance said it would involve total investments of 600 million euros in manufacturing capacity.

Carlos Ghosn, who is both president and chief executive of Renault, and president of Nissan, flew from Paris to visit the plant site in Tangiers, and to meet king Mohammed and top government officials in Rabat to dispel any doubt about the factory's future.

"All what has been planned will be achieved," Ghosn told a news conference in Rabat, adding that he had already approved the investment for plant equipment.

"The buildings of this plant will be erected beginning September this year," Ghosn said, adding that the only change would be "the rate of production" of the factory, which would depend on market circumstances.

"The first cars good for sales will be produced from the Tangier plant in January 2012 as scheduled," he said.

Ghosen said Nissan would be part of the project in the future as it was now focusing now in a similar project in India.

"I'm the CEO and I'm telling you that," he said in a reply to a reporter who asked him for evidence that Nissan would rejoin the project. The factory is an important project for Morocco, where the government has invested more than $10 billion in developing the northern areas of the country around the Mediterranean port complex of Tangiers.

The government is hoping that investing the region will result in more jobs for the local people, many who have been eking out their livings from transporting illegal migrants into Europe and participating in the growing trade in smuggling cannabis into Spain.

The European Union has been putting pressure on Morocco to eradicate the production of cannabis there.

Ghosn said the planned car plant in Tangier would employ 4,000 people directly and 24,000 people indirectly and would help Morocco develop its fledgling industry of car components. (Reporting by Lamine Ghanmi; editing by Karen Foster)

Sam Kaplan, the New US Ambassador to Morocco to be Appointed Shortly

Democratic fundraiser, is likely to become the U.S. ambassador to Morocco, according to Democratic sources . Sam Kaplan, a top fundraiser for President Obama's 2008 campaign finance committee, is now being vetted and is expected to be named to the ambassadorial post soon.
In addition to president Obama, Sam Kaplan has donated to several democratic candidates , including congressman Keith Ellison, soon to be senator Al Franken, as well to the Democratic national committee.

Another prominent Minnesotan in Washington is Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress who has traveled in the region to promote peace, since being elected to Congress in 2006. Sam Kaplan would be one of a small number of Jewish ambassadors who have been sent to the region. Mr. Kaplan, 72, would follow in the footsteps of another famous Minnesotan, former Vice President Walter Mondale, who was President Bill Clinton's ambassador to Japan.
Mr. Kaplan's appointment would be subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate. His name has been circulated recently because government officials have reportedly been interviewing friends and associates in Minnesota.
Mr. Kaplan was Born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1936. He went to college at the University of Minnesota, B.B.A., graduated in, 1957. He attended law school at University of Minnesota, J.D., magna cum laude, 1960

Morocco interest rate likely to stay at 3.25 pct -cbank

MARRAKECH, Morocco, May 29 (Reuters) - Morocco is likely to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.25 percent at a meeting next month, Central Bank governor Abdellatif Jouahri said on Friday.

'We will meet in June to review Moroccan economic policy, but all the indicators say that we will keep it at 3.25,' he told reporters on the sidelines of a finance conference in the Moroccan city of Marrakech.

The central bank cut the benchmark rate from 3.5 to 3.25 percent in March, saying underlying inflation was falling and the outlook for the global economy was likely to worsen.

Economic growth in the north African kingdom slowed to 4.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 from 5.4 percent in the third quarter and 6.5 percent in the second.

The slowing world economy is having a knock-on effect on exports, tourism, transfers of funds by Moroccans living abroad and foreign direct investment.

USA - Morocco Remittances Research Report

On March 2009, the 361 Degrees Institute conducted a survey on remittances from Moroccans residing in the USA to Morocco. The research contemplated barriers, trends, habits and opportunities that exist in regards to the money flow to Morocco from the United States. According to the World Bank, Moroccans Living Abroad sent remittances totaling 6.7 billion USD last year. In 2003, the last year for which data is available, Moroccans in the United States alone sent back a little over 200 million USD. This is a significant increase from 1990, when the reported 19,000 Moroccans living in the U.S. remitted 71 million dirham. These numbers represent the currency flowing through official channels such as bank accounts and money-transfer services, with the real total, including unreported gifts and money carried back or sent with others, likely much higher; Refass (1999: 102) has estimated that in the case of Morocco, between one quarter to one third of all remittances travel through these unofficial channels. Although academics have commonly predicted a decline in the amount of money flowing to Morocco, a still-unexplained remittance upsurge in 2001 has lead to historically high levels that have yet to drop, and remittances from the United States do not seem poised to decrease significantly in the near future. The impact of the global recession will be unpredictable, but the history of remittances to Morocco shows that generally, as Moroccan GDP decreases, remittances increase. This is significant for those living in Morocco during a dip in GDP, as the poverty-alleviation effects of remittances have been well established (see especially Page & Plaza 2005). In the results of this survey, four main methods emerged as the most widely used for transferring money: Western Union was reported to be the most popular company, with respondents’ personal banks and MoneyGram International being the next most widely used methods. Sending money with friends or family traveling back to Morocco was the fourth most frequent means of getting it back to Morocco, possibly reflecting respondents’ frustrations with the banking system, as noted many times in written comments returned with the surveys. In selecting one particular method over another, the speed of the fund transfer was the most important factor; with the amount fees involved being the second main issue. The security of the transaction and the ease with which the recipient could get the money were the other two most widely reported factors in choosing a method of sending. The biggest factors barring people from sending money more often to Morocco were, foremost, the currency exchange rates, followed by high fees and an inability to afford to send any additional money. Many also commented that the current banking system is too unreliable and sometimes slow, and that this lack of confidence in the banks encourages people to send back cash or use the black market. The frequency with which people send money to Morocco varies widely - 22% of respondents send money 2-3 times a year, an additional 16% between 4-5 times a year, and 19 percent 12 or more times a year. For most, it takes less than one day for money to travel from the USA to Morocco. Significantly, a full seven percent of respondents said that at times it can take a month or longer for money to get from the United States to its intended recipients in Morocco. It is this type of holdup that we hope to address with our research. Of those who sent money back, 80% reported that it was for a family member, whereas 20% reported that it was for themselves, generally either for savings (28%) or investment (28%) purposes, or for a loan (24%). Remittances are an extremely important source of income in Morocco, comprising an average of 9% of the country’s GDP every year since 2001. At the same time, the Moroccan American community is growing fast – up from almost 40,000 as reported in the 2000 census to anywhere from 150,000 to 300,000 today. Clearly, remittances from the United States to Morocco are becoming a more significant force every day, and will only increase in importance as more and more people settle here and begin to send money back to those still in Morocco. With this research, the 361 Degree Institute hopes to better understand the remaining concerns to be addressed in this increasingly significant issue and to work with the appropriate institutions to find innovative solutions.

U.A.E. Pulls Out of Gulf Monetary Union Project

The United Arab Emirates, the second largest Arab economy, has pulled out of the planned monetary union of oil-rich Gulf states, dealing a blow to their goal of establishing a European-style single currency.
“It’s like France saying it wants to pull out of the euro,” Eckart Woertz, an economist with the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center, said today in a telephone interview. “The single currency is dead.”
The U.A.E. has expressed reservations that Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh was chosen as the location of the planned common central bank. Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab economy.
The Gulf Cooperation Council in 2001 agreed to form a EU- style monetary union. Oman pulled out in 2007. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain are still part of the project.
U.A.E. central bank Governor Sultan bin Nasser al-Suwaidi said the country will keep the dirham’s peg to the dollar. All GCC currencies are pegged to the dollar except the Kuwait dinar which is linked to a basket of currencies.
“The U.A.E. has decided not to be part of the Gulf monetary union agreement,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman in Abu Dhabi was cited as saying by the state-run news agency WAM. “The U.A.E will continue to maintain its expansionary monetary policy and will keep the exchange rate of the dirham pegged to the dollar,” al-Suwaidi told WAM.
Central Bank
The U.A.E. offered in 2004 to host the common central bank, as it does not have any body affiliated with GCC on its territory, al-Suwaidi said.
“Emotions and egos are prevailing over rational decision- making and the U.A.E. is voicing its dissatisfaction by going against the union,” said John Sfakianakis, chief economist at the Saudi British Bank in Riyadh. “An important participant is now out. But it doesn’t mean the union is coming to an end, just some convincing has to be done to get them, the U.A.E, to re- enter. I hope they re-enter and emotions will not prevail.”
The U.A.E. officially notified the secretariat of the GCC of its decision to pull out, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said. Nasser al-Kaud, the GCC’s deputy assistant secretary- general for economic affairs, declined to comment.

Nemotek certifies clean room in Morocco

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Nemotek Technologie Inc., a manufacturer of wafer-level cameras for portable applications, said that it has certified its Class 10 clean room facility in Morocco.

This type of facility is said to be the first in Africa. It is located in the Rabat Technopolis Park, a hub for technology development in Morocco. The facility will serve as the center for the design and manufacture of wafer-level cameras (WLC) for camera phones and other portable devices.

Last year, Nemotek took a license for chip-packaging technology unveiled by Tessera Technologies Inc.. The technology makes it possible to manufacture thousands of lenses simultaneously on a semiconductor wafer.
Nemotek licensed this technology, dubbed OptiML Wafer-Level Camera (WLC), as well as Tessera's Shellcase Wafer-Level Chip Scale Packaging (WLCSP). The company will develop a range of camera solutions from wafer-level packaging of image sensors and wafer-level lenses to fully-integrated camera modules.

Nemotek's clean room will reside in a 10,000-square-meter facility. Its clean room was validated and certified by Luseo, an independent certification company based in France.

''To become the first wafer fabrication company to maintain a Class 10 clean room facility in Africa is a major accomplishment for us as well as the industry,'' said Jacky Perdrigeat, CEO of Nemotek Technologie, in a statement.

Morocco sheds jobs but hangs on in financial storm

Clamor fills the factory as workers bent over their industrial sewing machines stitch together women's garments at galloping speed. Yet the vast workshop is only half full, its blank benches a testimony to how the global financial meltdown swings back at the developing world.

Morocco's diverse, open economy has served as a model to poorer nations in Africa and the Arab world, but it has also left the country exposed to global downturn as trade with the rich world shrinks. And many are now watching whether the ripple effects of international finance could turn nasty in a developing nation like this north African kingdom with strong political and migration ties to Europe.

Moroccan authorities fear some 20,000 jobs are being cut in the textile industry, about 10 percent of the national total. Others have vanished in the tourism industry, the backbone of the coastal country's economy. Carmaker Nissan froze plans for a car plant promising thousands more positions. Remittances are down, too, as Moroccans working in Europe face layoffs.

"We're worried more cuts will follow," said Naima Arour, shouting to make herself heard over the hammering of her sewing machine. "Without work, we starve here," she said, barely lifting her eyes from the collars she was hastily fixing to women's blouses.

The government is keeping a close watch on at-risk sectors and intervening to keep joblessness down and maintain stability. Unauthorized groups critical of Morocco's tolerant, Western-friendly liberal economy, including those on the Islamist fringes, recruit massively in the country's slums, where idle youth are a fertile target for extremists.

There are no unemployment benefits in Morocco. And the firing of one employee usually directly affects a whole family, rippling fast through the economy in working-class towns like Sale, where much of the country's textile industry lies.

Abdelhai Bessa, Arour's employer, says a sense of pride and habits of social and Muslim solidarity usually prevent Moroccan managers from firing staff until absolutely necessary. But he's already laid off more than 600 of the 2,000 people he employed.

"We're very dependent on international trends," said Bessa, a former unionized railway engineer who started his textile business from scratch in the 1990s and reached US$15 million in revenue last year, surfing on a decade of outsourcing to market Morocco's cheap labor to Europe.

His firm works primarily for upscale retailers in Britain, where consumers have been particularly hard hit by the financial crisis. Orders have dropped 85 percent for menswear and fancy children's dresses. One of his main customers went broke in December.

The Moroccan government, which unlike many Arab states has no oil revenues, heavily relies on foreign trade to sustain its projected 5.8 percent GDP growth in 2009, from a gross domestic product of US$90.5 billion last year. It says it carefully monitors which sectors are taking blows.

"When warning lights turn orange, we intervene," Ahmed Reda Chami, Morocco's industry and commerce minister, told The Associated Press.

Authorities have spent 1 billion dirham (nearly US$100 million) on a support package, whose measures include canceling some payroll taxes and offering government guarantees to companies seeking bank loans.

"If lights were to turn red, we could do much more," said Chami, who with seven other Cabinet ministers and several top business leaders is part of a "Strategic Watch Committee" set up by the government to follow the unfolding effects of world recession.

The government is racing to start unemployment benefits. While official unemployment is at a low 2.8 percent in the country of 34 million, it is estimated at 20 percent in urban areas.

Massive rainfall this year in this often arid north African country has led to a boom in agriculture, helping to compensate shrinking industry and tourism revenues, the minister said.

Small farmers and urban poor have seen much less wealth come their way in recent years than those in the tourist and service sectors. Many have grown wary of their country's modernization and opening to the West, and the authorized opposition Islamists are now the second-biggest force in parliament.

The government knows it can't let its policies backfire and insists the social effects of the slowdown are limited for now. "But we're not an isolated island, so of course we're cautious," said Chami.

Tourism managers say they've begun to feel a slump in popular destinations like the sunny southern town of Marrakech, and the Central Bank is worried remittances are falling from Europe, where many Moroccans go for work.

One of the biggest signs of downturn came from Nissan. The Japanese car marker and its French partner Renault had planned to invest 600 million euros ($794 million) to build a huge car factory in Tangiers. The project, which was slated to create 6,000 jobs and deliver 200,000 cars yearly starting in 2010, is part of a Moroccan flagship program to develop "Tanger Med," a new deep-water port aiming to become one of the Mediterranean's biggest.

But Nissan announced recently it was freezing its part of the investment because of worldwide difficulties in the car industry. Thierry Moulonguet, the executive vice president and CFO of Renault-Nissan, said that despite "drastic revisions" of its investment plans, Renault has decided to go forward with the Tanger Med factory on its own. Production will likely be downgraded and postponed until 2011, he said.

"The current difficulties absolutely don't challenge the attractiveness of the country," he said.

Renault's new, low-cost Logan cars were due to be built in Tangiers and sold to developing nations. Now they're also becoming a hit in wealthier countries amid crisis-hit consumers. Renault estimates the combined cost of wages and labor taxes in Morocco are about 40 percent less than in China, or about nine times cheaper than in France.

Authorities want to think the same thing. The tourism ministry has launched an advertising campaign in France that boasts "Moroccotherapy," the idea that gloomy Europeans can get a quick fix of sunny cultural diversity by taking a discounted two-hour flight to Moroccan resorts.

Bessa, the textile manager, is convinced that Morocco, with its tight-knit society and history of state intervention, is better resisting the onslaught than others. He says European retail customers are warning him they'll need his factory more when activity picks up, because so many Chinese firms — which had grabbed most of the ultra-low cost textile outsourcing — are going down the drain.

"It's going very difficult in Morocco," Bessa said. But when the global recession eventually ends, "those of us who weathered the storm will be in a very strong position."

Etisalat to bid for Morocco's Meditel

Emirates Telecommunications Corp (Etisalat) will bid for a stake in Morocco's Meditel as it looks to expand in the Middle East and Africa, its chairman said on Friday.

Etisalat will also continue to pursue the telecom licence in Iran it was stripped of last week, Mohammed Hassan Omran told news agency Reuters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea in Jordan.

"We are looking for opportunities in the Middle East and Africa, especially at this time there are some good assets," Omran said. "Assets are becoming cheap ... we see them becoming more cheap in coming months."

"We are expecting (to get) Morocco ... We are participating in the bid for Morocco ... Meditel and we are working hard for Syria and Lebanon," Omran said, without giving further details.

Portugal Telecom has appointed Morgan Stanley to sell its 32 percent stake in Meditel, Morocco's second-largest telecoms company, people familiar with the matter said earlier this month.

The telecom operator is facing stiffer competition in its home market of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where some analysts are predicting there will be more job cuts and a decline in the population, which will weigh on the earnings of Etisalat and rival Du.

BIG MARKETS

When asked if Etisalat was likely to be able to match the 4 percent rise in profit it achieved in the first quarter, Omran said: "We are working hard to maintain that and even get it better."

He said the UAE market was becoming more difficult because expatriates were leaving, but Etisalat expected growth in Saudi Arabia, where its affiliate Etihad Etisalat was doing "better than expected".

Etisalat Egypt, the third mobile phone operator to enter the Egyptian market, was also performing "better than competitors", Omran said.

Saudi Arabia is the most-populous Gulf Arab country and Egypt has the largest population in the Arab world.

The chairman said the company was not giving up on its lost bid for Iran's third mobile telephone license.

Iran took the license away from Etisalat and its consortium partners in May, saying it "had not fulfilled its obligations".

The company said in January when it won the license that it planned to invest up to $5 billion over five years in its Iranian operation.

"In Iran, we made the best bid. Our partner could not continue and that ended up disqualifying the consortium," Omran said. "We are evaluating the possibilities. It is the big market and it has a lot of potential. But it is complex. The game is not over for us in Iran."

Reports: Morocco closes banks to prevent holdups

Local media say Moroccan authorities are closing 267 bank branches across the country because they are not secure enough to prevent holdups.

Le Matin and several other Moroccan newspapers quote Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa as saying he ordered the closures because Islamist terrorist cells are suspected of attacking banks to fund their activities.

He says there have been eight holdups so far this year and 32 in 2007.

The branch closures represent a significant number of bank branches in the North African kingdom.

The branches can reopen once they have hired enough security agents and installed alarms and closed-circuit TV systems.

Moroccan government seeks to promote scientific research

In the latest move to promote national development, the Moroccan government pledged last week to provide new support for scientific research in the kingdom. Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi announced the initiative during the thirteenth board meeting of the National Centre for Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST) in Rabat on May 5th.

According to a statement issued by the prime minister's office, the government has increased the volume of its loans to the National Fund for Scientific Research and Technological Development over the past two years to 25 million dirhams. A further 50 million dirhams was contributed in 2007 for research by telecommunications operators.

This followed previous contributions of 52 million dirhams in 2005 and 32 million dirhams in 2006.

El Fassi said that promoting scientific research is now essential for sustainable development in priority sectors, "such as the environment, water management, energy, food processing, medicinal and aromatic plants, fish stocks, mining products, and agricultural produce."

"The new approach will lend support to the massive projects that Morocco has embarked on in several different sectors, such as the National Industrial Development Plan, the Plan Azur for the promotion of tourism and the National Energy Strategy," said the head of the CNRST's science and technology department, Abdelaziz Benjouad.

The government's new strategy is aimed at strengthening science infrastructures, the financial management of research activities, and basic and ongoing training. The objective is to keep up with the pace of technological development and to foster a culture of entrepreneurship within the academic community.

The prime minister stressed that the idea is to make universities independent in order to boost scientific research and help them pilot their own policies at both the regional and local levels.

"Under the Emergency Education and Training Plan, 183 million dirhams would be spent on scientific research running costs," Minister of Education and Higher Education Ahmed Akhchichine said at the meeting.

"Investments totalling 69 million dirhams would be made in 2009 – an increase of 5 million dirhams over 2008."

The minister explained that there are a number of hurdles to overcome. One important task is to provide incentives to students by means of a scholarship programme for scientific research. The private sector must play a role in financing the sector, he asserted. The government is hoping that investors will provide co-financing equating to more than 25% for sectors regarded as priorities for Moroccan development. Akhchichine stated that the current co-financing proportion is just 12%.

Offering incentives to companies is another necessary step. It is hoped that the system will be modelled on an existing scheme involving telecoms operators, which are bankrolling ICT projects at research institutions and universities.

"In France, scientific research constitutes a sizeable source of income for schools," explained engineer Ahmed Boudani. "Research contracts are entered into directly with companies interested in development, whereas in Morocco, scientific research is regarded as a drain on the budgets of schools and universities. If we had well-organised research bodies, the private sector would take an interest."

Morocco unveils Export Plus programme to boost foreign trade

European markets continue to face the global financial crisis and the Moroccan export sector - heavily dependent on customers in Europe - is feeling the fallout.

To maximise exports into the region, encourage greater co-operation with foreign partners and counter the anticipated downturn in 2009, Morocco last week launched new strategic plan.

The foreign trade ministry released details of the National Plan for the Development and Promotion of Exports at a press conference on Wednesday (May 6th) at the National Library in Rabat.

The goal of the new programme, dubbed "Maroc Export Plus", is to triple the volume of Moroccan exports over the next decade and recruit more than 2,000 companies into the process, said Foreign Trade Minister Abdellatif Maazouz.

The trade stimulus initiative - drawn up in partnership with consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton - will support other development programmes such as Plan Maroc Vert, Plan Azur, Emergence, Vision 2015 for the Development of Crafts and the Moroccan Energy Strategy to target large importers, neighbouring markets and specialty markets.

Speaking to Parliament last week, Finance Minister Salaheddine Mezouar said that the growth forecast for the global economy fell from 3% to -1.3% in April, while the volume of world trade plummeted from 3.5% to -8%.

"This contraction has had repercussions in certain areas of the national economy," he said, "in particular with regard to tourism (where revenues fell by 21%), remittances from overseas Moroccans (down by 14.3%), [and] exports (down by 30%)... while imports fell by 16.8%."

Meanwhile, the balance of trade fell by 31% in March. Jobs were lost in textiles, electronics, mechanics and the automobile industry.

Both business figures and Moroccan MPs believe that government measures to deal with the global crisis have been too modest.
Abdelhak Lahlou, who manages a Moroccan-Spanish electronics firm based in Casablanca that serves European customers, said the situation is difficult due to the country's exposure to the global economy.

"The whole problem has come from abroad, which is where most of our orders come from," he told Magharebia.

Moroccan opposition parties, meanwhile, cite redundancies within many companies and the decline in remittances from overseas residents as contributory causes to the financial problem.

Mohammed Benayyad, Secretary-General of the National Foreign Trade Council, however, argues that the crisis is structural and not merely linked to the current economic climate. For this reason, he believes that both short-term and systemic changes should be made.

Arabian Travel Market sees strong first day attendance

In addition, overall visitor numbers for the show, which includes press and buyers club members, is up 3.4% on last year (as of 2pm Wednesday May 6th 2009).

And according to Reed Travel Exhibitions, the rise in visitors underlines the industry's desire to target and utilise key trade events that foster greater business interaction and instigate discussion - critical factors in the sector's recovery.

'It's no secret that the industry is actively targeting the number one event in its sector to help generate essential business partnerships and leads. As marketing budgets continue to shrink, companies and government bodies alike know that if they commit to event, both in terms of finance and time, it needs to deliver...and deliver well. The rise in first day figures for Arabian Travel Market 2009, especially given that we are in the midst of some of the harshest trading conditions we have ever faced, speaks volumes about the show and, most importantly, the determination of the industry as a whole,'



said Mark Walsh, Group Exhibition Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions.

'However, as we've said before, our focus is on quality not quantity, and that is what we are actively pursuing. We are encouraged by initial figures and I hope we maintain this momentum going forward, and we see a strong increase in repeat visitors over the show's four days.'

Arabian Travel Market 2009, taking place at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre till May 8th, opened its doors this week with more than 2,100 exhibitors and stand-sharers, from 69 countries, including 70 new-to-market representatives. This year also saw sign-up from more than 60 national tourist bodies representing six continents, with the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Romania and Nigeria making their debuts.

Strong showings from Middle East and North African countries, representing more than 850 exhibitors, also saw Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Syria bring larger tourism contingents than last year.

As part of the show's enhanced knowledge delivery role, Reed Travel Exhibitions has introduced Consumer & Careers Day on Friday 8th May. The programme, which is held under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Education, is designed to introduce exhibitors to members of the general public with a keen interest to work within the industry or developing an existing career. The initiative allows visitors to conduct face-to-face meetings with potential employers and attend specific career workshops and seminars hosted by established industry representatives.

Experts will also be on hand to discuss their roles and answer career questions via the Careers Day Panel - a dedicated seminar session, taking place from 15.30 - 17.30, which includes a Pilot, Air Hostess, General Manager, Travel Editor, Travel Agent and a Hotel Area General Manager.

'Careers Day opens up a new avenue for the show and we hope that it will drive members of the public, with an interest in the industry, to come down and see what's available to them. It really is a unique experience for those wanting to pursue a career in travel and tourism,' added Walsh.

Arabian Travel Market is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, and under the auspices of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Government of Dubai.

investing in Morocco presentation

Morocco is largest winemaker in Muslim world

Morocco has become one of the largest winemakers in the Muslim world, with the equivalent of 35 million bottles produced last year. Wine brings the state millions in sales tax, even though Islam appears to be on the rise politically.

"Morocco is a country of tolerance," said Mehdi Bouchaara, the deputy general manager at the Celliers de Meknes, the country's largest winemaker, which bottles over 85 percent of national output. "It's everybody's personal choice whether to drink or not."

The Celliers have flourished on this tolerance. The firm now cultivates 5,189 acres of vineyards, bottling anything from entry-level table wine to homemade Champagne and even a high-end claret, Chateau Roslane, aged in a vaulted cellar packed with oak barrels imported from France. The winery now dwarfs any other producer in Europe.

On paper, wine is "Haram," or forbidden to Muslims. But Bouchaara said the firm's distribution is all legal since it only sells to traders authorized by the state, who in turn officially sell exclusively to non-Muslim tourists.

Statistics, however, show that Moroccans consume on average 1 liter (a quarter of a gallon) of wine per person each year, and the Moroccan state itself is the largest owner of the country's 29,652 acres of vineyards.

The paradox illustrates Morocco's delicate balancing act.

The fast-modernizing country thrives on tourism and trade with Europe, but its people remain deeply conservative. The country's ruler, King Mohammed VI, is also "commander of the believers" and protector of the faith. Islamists authorized to take part in politics are the second-largest force in parliament, while support for non-authorized groups is believed to be even larger.

Despite this uncertain setting for wine culture, the Celliers' owner, Brahim Zniber, is one of the country's richest people. His group employs 6,500 people, nearly all of them Muslim, and revenues rose to 225 million euros last year. Its three biggest sources of income are wine production with the Celliers de Meknes, hard liquor imports, and Coca-Cola bottling.

Zniber's latest ventures include the new Moroccan Champagne and plans to build a luxury hotel offering the country's first "vinotherapy" spa resort, with health care creams and baths based on grape products.

But the group has also tested the limits of the gray zone it operates in. The "Wine festival" it helped promote in 2007 caused protests in nearby Meknes, a deeply religious city of 500,000 run until recently by an Islamist mayor.

"The festival was an unnecessary provocation," said Aboubakr Belkora, the former mayor who was slammed by his own Islamist group, the Justice and Development Party, for halfheartedly authorizing the gathering in the center of town.

Elected in 2003, Belkora was removed this past January by the Interior Ministry because of allegations of mismanagement and graft. He denies the accusations, saying they were politically motivated. Belkora doesn't think he was punished because of the wine festival, but views authorities as wary of the Islamists' growing political clout.

"They don't want us to be too successful," he contended, noting that the administration picked his replacement from outside Islamist ranks.

The ex-mayor said that "for religious reasons," he uprooted about 247 acres of vineyards from his own fields but has no qualms with others making or drinking wine.

"There has always been an acceptance in Morocco, for wine, for homosexuality... you just don't need to advertise it," he said in an interview.

Others find there is some hypocrisy to the practice.

Hassan, a restaurant manager, who did not provide his last name, said he wasn't allowed a license to serve alcoholic drinks because he is Muslim. "But everyone knows we serve wine with our food," he said, pointing at the restaurant's patrons, both foreign and Moroccan, sipping their wine over dinner.

Another owner in Meknes, who also requested anonymity because of his practices, said he served wine in tinted glasses, kept bottles out of sight, and told clients to say they were drinking soft drinks if questioned. "Police rarely come, and if they do they never look inside the glass," he said.

These practices reflect a much more lenient culture than in other Muslim countries.

Alcohol is completely forbidden in hard-line Iran or Saudi Arabia. In Sudan, offenders regularly get sentenced to lashings in court. Even in nearby Algeria, another large wine producer, alcohol consumption is fast shrinking to just the capital and a few exclusive tourist resorts.

Within Morocco's more favorable context, the Celliers winery sells 27 million bottles per year, mostly in Morocco. Two million bottles head to Europe or the United States. The firm is planting another 1,977 acres of grapes to meet new demand from China, said Jean-Pierre Dehut, a former liquor-store owner in Belgium hired as the Celliers' export manager.

By the size of the huge new bottling plant it is building and the 450 people it employs, the Celliers is more on-par with the new, industrial-scaled wine businesses in Australia, Chile or California than with Europe's often family-owned domains. But Dehut stressed that Morocco has made wine for at least 2,500 years, since the Phoenicians colonized its coast. "This country exported wine to Rome during the Roman Empire," he said.

Wine making soared during the French colonial era, which lasted more than 50 years until the country's independence in 1956.

By then, hundreds of vineyards planted with French vines - mostly centered on the sunny plateau around Meknes in northern Morocco - churned out some 7.9 billion gallons each year.

Grapes produce more sugar, hence more alcohol, when they get more sun. So Morocco's hefty African wines were known as "medicine spirits" because they were often used to boost the strength of better-known domains in colder climates.

When the European Union banned blending wine from elsewhere to its production, Morocco turned to creating its own labels. The king offered land at a bargain price to foreign wine growers, and Zniber, a Moroccan, created his own empire - tax free because Morocco has frozen taxation on agriculture until 2010.

Most of the group's dozen brands are cheap wines sold inside the country. But the Celliers also heavily invested in improving quality, conducting private research since Morocco's Agriculture Ministry won't sponsor studies on a near-forbidden product. The chief oenologist, a Moroccan, has nearly free reign to try out new techniques and grape varieties in the factory-like winery packed with stainless-steel vaults.

"Our top-end domain is now comparable to a good Bordeaux," said Dehut, referring to the famous red wines from southwestern France.

The comparison doesn't end there, with Zniber masterminding the creation of local wine "appellations," like in France, and proudly displaying Morocco's first self-styled "Chateau" - in practice a cathedral-sized concrete structure built as a winery in the 1920s.

In the cellar under Chateau Roslane lie some 3,000 oak barrels to store and give tannins to the top red wines. The domain also counts a state-of-the-art tasting lab, landscaped gardens, reception halls lined with Moroccan carpets and artifacts, as well as a sampling room with a long oak table and leather chairs reminiscent of historic European mansions.

The underlying message seems clear: Morocco can take the best from Europe as well as from its own traditions.

"Many of my friends are astonished by the quality," said Dehut, popping open a bottle of the Celliers' new Champagne-styled sparkly wine, "The Pearl of the South."

Still, the homemade Champagne only sells in Morocco, meaning Muslims are most likely its largest buyers.

Morocco launches 3rd low cost Carrier

Washington. Apr 30, 09- After Jet4you and Atlas Blue, here's Air Arabia Morocco, whose first flights are scheduled for May 6th.

Morocco has its 3rd low-cost airline. Alongside Jet4you and Atlas Blue, newly born Air Arabia Morocco whose maiden flight on May 6 will be between Casablanca and London.
The company required an investment of $ 50 million: 51% owned by private Moroccan investors, with the remainder coming from institutions of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The new carrier will serve a number of destinations in Europe and North Africa. It is the result of an alliance between the Moroccan airline Regional Air and the parent company Air Arabia, based in the UAE. In addition, it has two Airbus A320 aircraft and will receive a 3rd of the same aircraft type in November 2009. The airline plans to acquire a fleet of 16 aircrafts by 2014.

Air Arabia Morocco "is not intended to compete with the RAM (Royal Air Maroc), which is solid" … "no fear for its future," said Moroccan Transport Minister Mr. Karim Ghellab.
“The Moroccan American community begs to differ with the Transportation Minister, because of the ongoing litany of complaints by U.S. based travelers about the state-controlled-airline, Royal Air Maroc.
With the new low cost carrier going to London, it would be interesting to see how travelers to morocco can combine a trip to the UK and a connection to Morocco and keep the price and the convenience factor attractive and avoid the aggravations of RAM all together” said a Moroccan American resident of Maryland.

Morocco's BMCE bank counters real estate crisis

CASABLANCA, April 23 (Reuters) - Morocco's second-largest private bank, BMCE (BMCE.CS), signed deals on Thursday with the country's largest real estate developers to try to shield the key sector from the global economic downturn.

The real estate boom was the engine of growth in the past five years.

But investors worried the impact of the global economic crisis would wither growth and affect others sectors such as construction and the stock market, where real estate companies underpinned the bourse's good performance.

Housing Minister Taoufik Hejira said real estate was hit by a "psychological crisis" caused by the global turmoil.

"The (real) estate market is healthy with strong fundamentals. There is no real crisis in the business. It is just a psychological crisis," he told Reuters on the sidelines the signing ceremony.

Under the deals with the developers, including Addoha (ADH.CS) and CDI, the real estate arm of Morocco's biggest state fund CDG, BMCE will keep credit flowing and guarantee loans for middle class buyers.
"The government would provide a 50 percent guarantee for the loans and the bank would guarantee the other 50 percent to keep the real estate on the track of growth," Hejira added.

Other banks are expected to follow BMCE to try to ward off the impact of the crisis, officials said. BMCE has a 24 percent share of the country's real estate loans.

"The measures adopted by BMCE bank target the middle class, which constitutes the backbone of the stability of our society," BMCE Chairman Othman Benjelloun told the gathering.

BMCE unveiled a financial product named Salaf Damane Assakane (housing guarantee loan) for middle class houses costing 800,000 Moroccan Dihrams ($93,730) or six times the average low-income price.

STRONG POTENTIAL

The government launched a programme to sustain real estate growth, including a scheme to eradicate slums in the main cities to help fight poverty and radical Islamists.

Eleven suicide bombers from Casablanca's slums killed themselves and 34 others in 2003, jolting the government into tackling poverty and other social problems.

Despite the government's efforts, a third of the 15 million Moroccans living in cities lack decent housing, Hejira said.

About Half of the 30 million population live in the countryside.
"Five million people among the 15 urban population need decent housing. Each year, 150,000 new couples need homes. That is to say, what potential of growth the estate sector has," he added.

Hejira dismissed worries among business people that Morocco's real estate sector could slump into crisis.

"Morocco is still far from the depth of the crisis," he said. "That does not mean that the country would not be affected. Some Moroccans are thinking about cancelling plans to to buy houses because of media talk about the crisis."

Morocco's economy is likely to grow 6.7 percent this year from 5.8 percent last year due to an expected good cerealsharvest and despite the impact of the global crisis, according to official forecasts.

Growth, excluding farming, will slow to 3.9 percent this year from 5 percent last year, according to the state High Planning Commission, underscoring the fragile basis of growth, despite government efforts to reform the economy and decouple it from weather-dependent agriculture.

Soaring real estate prices shut out Morocco's middle class

Moroccan private company manager Slimane Belhouat has been trying to buy a house for five years. Even with a monthly income of 12,000 dirhams – in a country where the average citizen earns 1,344 MAD each month – he is currently unable to obtain a loan to buy a flat in a decent and quiet area in the capital.

"You now need a budget of at least a million dirhams to buy a home with an area of 80 square metres in Rabat, which I just can't afford. I'm not going to spend three-quarters of my salary for years on end to buy my own flat."

He is not alone. Karima and her husband Othmane wanted to buy a plot of land to build a two-storey house in Temara, but as the years passed, their dream faded away. The young couple now hopes to buy just a flat with enough room for a small family.

"Land prices have skyrocketed. To buy a plot measuring 90 square metres you need at least 900,000 dirhams. That’s beyond our means, even though my wife and I both work as managers for a company. There have been unprecedented rises in prices," says a crestfallen Othmane. His wife Karima notes that the situation has driven many of their friends to buy social housing intended for those on low incomes.

There is another problem preventing many from buying their own homes: so-called "black payments" which buyers are expected to make "off the books" so that developers avoid paying taxes. Even though the practice is illegal, it is widespread. Payments can reach as much as half the price of a flat. The phenomenon has persisted despite numerous promises by the Ministry of Housing to launch a crackdown.

Since banks will only lend up to the amount stated on the official contract, the prevalence of so much money exchanged under the table has forced civil servant Samira Toumani to abandon the dream of having her own home.

"To buy a flat I needed to take out a bank loan and find the rest myself," she tells Magharebia. "In the end I gave up. Renting suits me best for the time being," she says.

The Ministry of Housing acknowledges that there is a severe shortage of housing for the middle class. According to figures from the High Commission for Planning, 2.4 million families are affected. A total of 800,000 families do not own their homes; 300,000 of these families live in inadequate housing.

The situation has arisen because the government, through ambitious programmes such as the FOGARIM housing-assistance fund, has focused its attention on low-income housing over the past few years to reduce the number of shanty towns and sub-standard dwellings. Moreover, government tax breaks granted to property developers have spurred the latter to target the state-subsidised housing sector.

The government wants to cut the housing shortage to 27% by 2012. To achieve this objective, the various market players are now seeking to implement two agreements signed in February to help middle class Moroccans acquire their own homes.

The government pledged to make 3,853 hectares of public land available for 200,000 new housing units. Fourteen hubs and urban zones will be created and 28 housing programmes will be implemented in 32 cities across 11 regions of the country. The cost: nearly 52 billion dirhams.

The government has also vowed to increase the size of the guarantee fund for the middle class. By giving private-sector workers access to this fund, the government is hoping to boost demand for property by middle class buyers. It is expected that those with a net monthly wage of 10,000 dirhams and couples with a combined income of 15,000 dirhams will be able to obtain guarantees worth up to 800,000 dirhams.

"The measure will breathe new life into a sector where the need for housing is acute," says Youssef Ibn Mansour, President of the National Federation of Property Developers.

[File] Housing Minister Ahmed Taoufiq Hejira is pushing for more construction of affordable housing.

The Ministry of Housing and various urban agencies are currently trying to allow suburbs, by way of exception, to be "urbanised" and thus permit integrated housing projects. In March, Housing Minister Ahmed Taoufiq Hejira called on all parties involved to work hard to free up land on the outskirts of cities so that homes could be built as soon as possible for middle-class families, who for years have been excluded from government housing programmes.

The creation of a new generation of housing co-operatives is another priority set by the Ministry of Housing to assist middle-class buyers. Most of these co-operatives have failed to achieve their aims due to inadequate funding, mismanagement or disputes. Last year, just 32% of them were able to secure housing, while the remainder have yet to reach the construction stage.

The Ministry wants these groups to have direct access to land at cost. The aim is to make property affordable in order to stop intermediaries from pushing prices upwards. The Ministry is even thinking of subsidising technical and architectural studies to make things easier for co-operatives.

"Developers are continuing to build homes that do not meet the expectations of the middle classes in terms of quality or price," says economics professor Abderrahmane Yahyaoui. He believes that the government's new housing strategy will encourage property developers to focus on middle-class homebuyers: "This segment has the biggest pool of customers," he explains.

Many middle-class Moroccans are anxiously waiting for the government's new strategy to take effect. Still, given the current economic climate, some potential homebuyers are reluctant to act. Mohammed Maaroufi, a higher-education teacher, says that although banks are currently offering advantageous terms, market prices could fall due to the international economic crisis just starting to hit Morocco.

"I want to buy, but I'm going to wait for prices to readjust," he says. "At the moment, they don't reflect the true values of properties."

Over 140.000 passengers used domestic flights past March, ONDA

Casablanca - Some 140,375 passengers used domestic flights in March 2009 on a total of 1,079,512 travellers who transited through Moroccan airports in the same period, the Moroccan office of airports (ONDA) said Tuesday.

Figures of the state-run office revealed that the Casablanca Mohammed V international airport topped the list with 67,689 passengers.

Agadir-Al Massira airport, on the Atlantic, ranked second with 27.250 passengers, followed by Marrakech-Menara, which received 15,232 travellers.

These were followed mainly by the airports of Ouarzazate (south), Oujda-Angad (east), Laâyoune-Hassan 1st (south) and Fès-Saiss, ONDA said.

Morocco is due to create an airline company specialize in domestic flights. "Royal Air Maroc Express", a subsidiary of Morocco's flag carrier, Royal Air Maroc (RAM), will be launched in the summer, and will operate with a fleet of eight aircrafts across.

Lyon accueille jusqu'à ce soir le salon Maroc'Immo.

Lyon accueille jusqu'à ce soir le salon Maroc'Immo. L'attractivité de ce pays ne se dément pas. Retraités, classes moyennes ou aisées, chacun espère y trouver la résidence de ses rêves

« Une villa avec piscine, en bord de mer et de l'exotisme ». Voilà ce qu'est venu chercher Bernard, rentier lyonnais de 62 ans au salon Maroc'Immo qui s'est ouvert vendredi. Il n'est pas le seul Rhônalpin à arpenter les allées du Centre de congrès, en quête de son coin de paradis. Dans la région, ils sont même de plus en plus nombreux à céder aux charmes de ce pays.

Logement modeste ou villa, il y a le choix

« Chaque année, 120 000 nouveaux logements sont construits au Maroc. L'offre est très diversifiée », fait savoir Adel Bouhaja, vice-président de la Fédération nationale des promoteurs immobiliers du Maroc.

« De l'habitat économique au très haut standing, toutes les catégories socioprofessionnelles sont susceptibles d'y trouver leur compte. » Selon lui, les premiers prix pour les logements les plus modestes (environ 35 m2) s'élèvent à 20 000 euros.

Pour un riad (maison qui s'organise autour d'un patio), « il faut tabler sur un minimum de 200 000 euros à l'achat, et autant pour son aménagement », apprend-on sur le stand du groupe Solinge.

L'immobilier « reste une valeur sûre »

« Au Maroc, malgré la crise, l'immobilier reste stable et demeure une valeur sûre d'investissement », assure Adel Bouhaja.

« Il y a une très forte demande intérieure, notamment pour les constructions économiques et de moyen standing. Le déficit de logement est estimé à un million de logements. »

La qualité de vie

D'un stand à l'autre, c'est l'argument qui fleurit sur toutes les bouches : il fait bon vivre au Maroc. « De septembre à juin, il fait entre 20 et 35° C à Marrakech », note Mohamed Berrada, responsable développement de Ghita Immobilier, qui loue aussi le fait que « les Marocains sont des gens très agréables. »

Pas de problème de pouvoir d'achat non plus. « Au Maroc, avec une retraite de 1 300 euros, on dispose du même niveau de vie qu'un professeur d'université avec dix ans d'ancienneté », précise Monaïm Kellal, présent sur le stand Marance.

Des avantages fiscaux

Si de nombreux retraités décident de s'installer au Maroc, c'est aussi parce qu'ils peuvent bénéficier d'avantages fiscaux. Un notaire rencontré au Salon explique : « S'il s'engage à ce que la totalité de sa pension soit versée sur un compte au Maroc, un retraité peut profiter d'un abattement de 80 % sur son impôt sur le revenu. »

Quel avenir pour les Bourses arabes?

· Grande rencontre à Casablanca

· Signature d’un partenariat Maroc-Egypte

La réunion annuelle de l’Union des Bourses arabes (UBA), qui a commencé hier mercredi 15 avril, a réuni bon nombre d’acteurs du secteur, à commencer par les gérants de la place casablancaise. Parmi eux, Aomar Yidar, président du conseil d’administration de la Bourse de Casablanca, Karim Hajji, fraîchement nommé directeur général de l’entité, Youssef Benkirane, président de l’Association professionnelle des sociétés de Bourse (APSB), et Fathia Bennis, directrice de Maroclear… La réunion, qui a eu pour thème «Les Bourses arabes entre enjeux du présent et défis de l’avenir», a également mobilisé tout un panel d’hommes d’affaires et d’institutionnels.
La conjoncture actuelle a bien sûr été le point de mire des discussions. Fadi Khalaf, secrétaire général de l’Union, s’est attardé sur l’impact de la crise sur les marchés arabes. «Les marchés boursiers arabes, particulièrement ceux des pays du Golfe, ont été impactés par les variations des prix du pétrole». Selon Khalaf.
Les pertes pour les Bourses arabes s’élèvent, depuis début 2008, à près de 600 milliards de dollars. Sans être alarmiste, ce dernier a conclu que «cette crise n’est cependant pas la pire. Celle de 1929 était bien plus importante».
De son côté, Karim Hajji, pour sa première allocution publique, a effectué une présentation générale de la Bourse de Casablanca, ses potentialités, ainsi que son positionnement parmi les Bourses arabes. Il en ressort que la capitalisation de la place casablancaise est la troisième du monde arabe, après l’Arabie saoudite et l’Egypte.
Eric Bertrand, expert à Euronext, a, pour l’occasion, effectué une analyse détaillée sur le degré de contamination des marchés arabes par la crise. Parmi les mesures recommandées, l’amélioration de la communication financière ainsi que de la transparence sont considérées comme des priorités. «Sans oublier l’adoption de modèles de risk management en prévention de risques extrêmes, ou l’adoption de véhicules d’investissement alternatif comme ceux issus de la Charia islamique», indique Bertrand. Le constat général est la perte de confiance des investisseurs. Une frilosité qui caractérise également le marché boursier marocain. Khalaf souligne que «la restauration de cette confiance constituera probablement le thème de la prochaine réunion de l’UBA, qui se tiendra en décembre prochain en Egypte». Cette dernière était également à l’honneur, puisqu’en marge de la réunion, une convention de partenariat a été signée entre le Maroc et l’Egypte.
Elle portera sur le développement des dispositifs réglementaires et techniques afin d’améliorer la compétitivité des deux marchés. Ainsi que sur l’échange d’information et d’expertise entre les deux places, dans le but d’enrichir leurs compétences respectives. Un comité technique sera également constitué, afin de veiller au développement des axes de la convention.

Gestion de l’eau 82 milliards de DH à mobiliser d’ici 2030

· Le potentiel hydrique évalué à 22 milliards de m3

· Les besoins du Maroc en eau passeront à 16,5 milliards de m3 en 2030

· Nécessité d’économiser 2,5 milliards de m3 par an

CONCILIER développement intégré et rationalisation de l’utilisation de l’eau, tel est l’objectif des 16 conventions régionales qui ont été signées, mardi 14 avril, à Fès. Déclinés sur les 16 régions du Royaume, ces partenariats permettront de mettre en place une stratégie nationale en matière de rationalisation de l’eau, tout en assurant un développement durable et un programme de qualification environnementale des régions.
D’importants investissements sont déjà consentis dans le domaine de l’eau. Ils concernent le plan Maroc vert (Plan national d’économie d’eau dans l’agriculture), le Plan d’assainissement et le Plan de protection contre les inondations.
Au total, la nouvelle stratégie de l’eau nécessitera un investissement additionnel de 82 milliards de dirhams sur la période 2009-2030. La mise en œuvre de cette stratégie intervient pour faire face à la rareté de l’eau. Le potentiel hydrique du Maroc est actuellement évalué à peine à 22 milliards de m3, dont 18 milliards d’eaux de surface et 4 milliards d’eaux souterraines. Or, les besoins en eau passeront à 16,5 milliards de m3 à l’horizon 2030.
Par ailleurs, la production en eau potable a été multipliée par 5 au cours des trois dernières décennies pour s’établir à plus de 1 milliard de m3 par an.
En milieu urbain, le taux de branchement individuel au réseau de distribution est de 92%. Le reste de la population, situé dans les quartiers périphériques en zone semi-urbaine, est desservi par bornes-fontaines.
Dans le monde rural, il reste à raccorder 20% de la population. Le taux de desserte a connu, au cours des dernières années, un développement remarquable, passant de 14% en 1994 à plus de 80% en 2008.
Pour pouvoir continuer de satisfaire les besoins, le gouvernement a élaboré une stratégie permettant d’économiser 2,5 milliards de mètres cubes par an à l’horizon 2030. A ce titre, il faut préciser que d’importantes quantités d’eau sont perdues annuellement en mer à cause du manque de capacité de stockage. D’ailleurs, le volume d’eau perdue depuis le 1er septembre dernier est estimé à près de 13 milliards de m3, soit plus de la moitié du potentiel annuel en eau renouvelable.
Par conséquent, pour réaliser des économies, la stratégie préconise d’agir sur la demande et de dégager une ressource hydrique supplémentaire de 2,5 milliards de m3 par an à travers l’action sur l’offre. In fine, il va falloir parvenir à dégager des réserves annuelles d’environ 5 milliards de m3.
Désormais, la problématique de l’eau sera directement intégrée dans les préoccupations du développement économique et social. Au final, il s’agit de favoriser la mise en œuvre de projets intégrés, capables de générer des emplois.
Les conventions régionales signées ont pour objectifs la protection et la valorisation des ressources en eau, la préservation et la valorisation des espaces naturels et de la biodiversité, la prévention et la lutte contre les risques. Elles visent également la dépollution et la gestion des déchets liquides et solides, la mise à niveau des écoles rurales, la création d’espaces récréatifs urbains et périurbains. La sensibilisation, l’éducation au respect de l’environnement, la reconstitution des stocks d’eaux souterraines sont également prévues dans le plan d’action du gouvernement.
La stratégie marocaine de l’eau sera consolidée par la mise en place progressive d’observatoires régionaux de l’environnement, qui seront reliés directement à l’Observatoire national, déjà opérationnel.
Ces instances régionales seront pilotées par des conseils composés de représentants des administrations, des institutions de formation et de recherche ainsi que la société civile. Elles auront pour mission de produire des rapports et des indicateurs sur l’état de l’environnement régional. De plus, les observatoires régionaux sont appelés à devenir de véritables outils d’aide à la prise de décision au service des opérateurs économiques, des acteurs locaux et des collectivités locales.

Investir au Maroc : les bonnes formules du consul général

Soad Hammad, consul général du Maroc veut développer les relations économiques. Soad Hammad est le nouveau consul général du Maroc à Dijon. Licenciée en littérature anglaise, elle pratique cinq langues et elle a participé, puis dirigé de nombreuses missions diplomatiques à l’étranger pour le compte de son pays. En pointe sur le statut de la femme et ses droits, Soad Hammad est également une experte en économie. Chef de division de la formation et des oeuvres sociales en 2004, elle dirigeait le service des agences de financement et du développement en 2000, après avoir travaillé au cabinet de M. Znined, ministre délégué auprès du ministre des Affaires étrangères et de la Coopération. Elle veut ouvrir une mission économique au sein du consulat général pour intensifier les échanges avec les entreprises bourguignonnes.
En poste depuis le mois d’octobre 2008, Soad Hammad, nouveau consul général du Maroc à Dijon multiplie les contacts avec les entreprises bourguignonnes. Son souhait est d’ouvrir de façon bilatérale ces relations. Elle veut autant inciter des entreprises bourguignonnes à venir faire des affaires au Maroc qu’elle souhaite que des entreprises marocaines viennent en Bourgogne. Cela passe aussi par un accroissement des manifestations culturelles et des échanges pour mieux faire connaître la culture marocaine. Un grand vent de renouveau est manifestement en train de souffler, au moment même où l’Europe octroie un statut avancé à Rabat. On n’est pas loin d’un espace économique commun.

1- Vous allez créer un service économique au sein du consulat général qui a un rôle essentiellement tourné vers la gestion administrative de ses ressortissants ainsi que des questions cultuelles et culturelles. C’est un peu une révolution qui va accroître son rayonnement ? Soad Hammad : « Oui, j’ai demandé au ministre quelqu’un qui aura ce prof il, parmi les diplomates. Il aura un rôle de facilitateur et de médiateur. Il devra aussi communiquer et maîtriser l’arsenal juridique des créations d’entreprise au Maroc. Le consulat général de Bordeaux a déjà mis en place une telle s t r u c t u r e . Je suis d’autant plus confiante que je sais de quoi je parle, puisque j’ai formé ces gens en organisant des tables rondes qui ont permis d’échanger avec des anciens conseillers économiques qui faisaient part de leur expérience. On veut draîner des entreprises ou des productions vers le Maroc, tout en exportant davantage en France. Je commence à voir des niches qui permettra de travailler dans les deux sens ».

2- Justement, en dehors du tourisme, quels sont ces secteurs qui permettront de multiplier de tels échanges ? S.H. : « Ils sont très nombreux, comme par exemple tout ce qui gravite autour de la viticulture, puisque vous savez que nous produisons un vin réputé dans la région de Meknès. Il y a aussi le secteur des énergies renouvelables, celui du bâtiment, sans oublier les transferts de savoir et de formations. Pour cela, il suffit de prendre contact avec moi et je les mettrai en relation avec le centre régional d’investissement pour des projets qui sont inférieurs à 20 millions de dirham (1,8 M€). En deux semaines, toutes les formalités peuvent être réglées, car on a un guichet unique qui regroupe toutes les administrations concernées. Au-delà de cette somme, c’est la Primature (les services du Premier ministre) qui statue. »

3- Ces investissements s’inscriraient dans le cadre défini du développement du Maroc. Pouvez- vous nous en dresser un tableau ? S.H. : « Effectivement, le programme Emergence a défini sept secteurs à développer pour créer 500 000 emplois. Il y a les secteurs de l’offshoring, celui de l’automobile, près de Tanger, l’électronique sur la zone franche de Tanger, l’aéronautique, le textile, l’agro-alimentaire, les produits de la mer, congelés et haut de gamme, l’artisanat et l’appui aux PME. Un nouveau plan, baptisé Envol mise plus sur le développement des nano-technologies ou la micro-électronique. Pour notre secteur phare, le tourisme, notre objectif est d’atteindre les 10 millions de touristes par an, ce qui demandera un investissement de 9 milliards d’euros, soit 8 % de notre PIB pour un revenu attendu de 59 milliards d’euros. Dans ce domaine, le tourisme rural se développe beaucoup, car il y a toute une gamme d’Européens qui souhaite sortir des centres touristiques balisés et des grands hôtels pour découvrir nos traditions ».

4- Concrètement, comment comptezvous aider les initiatives bourguignonnes ? S.H. : « Je viens d’arriver, mais je pense déjà qu’on pourrait organiser des voyages. Je peux mettre au point des plannings pour cela.»

5- Quels intérêts d’aller travailler ou créer une entreprise au Maroc. Il y a bien des limites aussi ? S.H. : « Pour une entreprise qui vient au Maroc, elle trouve un environnement favorable. Il y a un SMIC à 1 800 dirhams (170€) avec une main d’oeuvre qualifiée; d’ailleurs beaucoup de centres d’appel se sont délocalisés. Les Marocains parlent très bien le français. Le climat et la sécurité ne peuvent que séduire et la vie n’est pas chère. Bien-sûr, un étranger ne peut pas acheter un terrain agricole. Mais à condition d’avoir un associé, il n’y a pas de problème et on a les zones franches ».

6- Pouvez-vous nous citer quelques incitations propres à déclencher des vocations ? S.H. : « Une charte de l’investissement a été adoptée en 1995 pour inciter les investisseurs étrangers. Ses mesures prévoient : l’exonération totale de l’impôt sur les sociétés les cinq premières années de l’activité et l’abattement de 50 % sur le chiffre d’affaires à l’export pour les cinq années suivantes. L’exonération de TVA et de la patente pendant cinq ans. L’exonération de la TVA pour les immobilisations acquises localement. Il y a aussi les mesures spécifiques aux zones franches, ainsi que la garantie des investissements et du libre transfert de capitaux et la garantie de non-discrimination entre étrangers et nationaux.»

Maroc: Tensions politico-économique autour de la grève des chauffeurs de taxis

Le projet de loi organique portant sur l’adoption d’un nouveau code de la route a créé un véritable tollé au Maroc. Les organisations de chauffeurs de taxis – plus particulièrement les taxis «blancs» - ont décidé de s’opposer fermement et avec beaucoup de détermination au ministre de tutelle, Karim Ghellab.
Maroc: Tensions politico-économique autour de la grève des chauffeurs de taxis Tout avait débuté en 2007 avec des mouvements de grève de masse sur l’ensemble du pays qui étaient pilotés par des organisations professionnelles de taxis. A cet époque, l’Etat avait fait marche arrière car les conséquences économiques (blocage du port de Casablanca, problèmes d’approvisionnement en fruits et légumes,…) et sociales (chômage partiel, gel de l’activité marchande) étaient trop lourdes à supporter.

C’est tous les pans de l’économie qui se retrouvaient en panne…sèche. Face à cet état de fait – et sous la pression du pouvoir central – Karim Ghellab et le gouvernement de Driss Jettou opéraient alors une grande marche arrière.

Les tractations et autres négociations «souterraines» entre l’Exécutif et les représentants des fédérations (et associations) de taxis n’ont pu endigué la colère des chauffeurs de taxis. Du coup, Karim Ghellab faisait le dos rond sans pour autant changer de…philosophie. 2007 est une année marquée par un rendez-vous politique avec les élections législatives et la flambée mondiale des denrées alimentaires de première nécessité.

En effet, le ministre décidait de contourner le «bloc». Comment ? Via une double démarche. Primo. Donner l’impression de lever le pied en ouvrant le débat et en promettant d’écouter et de tenir compte des revendications exprimées par les chauffeurs de taxis. Secundo, avec le lancement d’une offensive secrète (lobby auprès des parlementaires, ralliement de certains chefs de file du mouvement contestataire) destinée à faire passer le projet de nouveau code de la route au sein de la Première chambre au Parlement.

«Le ministre n’a tenu compte d’aucune suggestion. Il en a fait qu’à sa tête. De facto, et devant son attitude, nous avons décidé de repasser à l’offensive avec une série d’actions de protestation», déclare Bouâzza El Ghadi, Secrétaire général de la Confédération générale des taxis.

Une large majorité des propositions des organisations des chauffeurs de taxi portaient sur les amendes et autres sanctions jugeaient trop sévères. En effet, le projet de loi prévoit des peines de 3 à 10 mois de prison pour conduite en état d’ivresse (dans un pays où la consommation d’alcool est interdite pour les musulmans ?!), de drogues ou de médicaments, le refus d’obtempérer, les situations de blessures volontaires (vive l’arbitraire) ou d’accidents mortels. Les amendes vont de 300 à 7 000 dirhams.

Et ce n’est pas tout. L’introduction du permis à point est également dans les tuyaux, comme du reste la refonte du système de mise en fourrière des véhicules et le durcissement des conditions de retrait du permis de conduire.

«Nous avons le sentiment que ce projet de code la route n’a pas tenu compte des conditions d’exercice de notre métier, de la situation sociale des chauffeurs et des conséquences dramatiques que ce code pourrait avoir pour les chauffeurs de taxis. Que propose Karim Ghellab pour améliorer l’état des routes ? Très souvent la cause d’accidents», indique Bouâzza El Ghadi.

Ce nouvel affront pour Karim Ghellab a également des soubassements politiques. Candidat «à la candidature» au scrutin communal de juin 2009 pour devenir Maire de la ville de Casablanca, il devra s’attacher à revoir sa copie pour conserver des chances de succès. Et les chauffeurs de taxis le savent. D’où leur (nouvelle) proposition pour sortir du conflit : le retrait pur et simple du nouveau code la route. Va y avoir du sport !

Citroën Maroc : La fin du carré rouge

Quelques semaines après la présentation de Citroën de sa nouvelle identité visuelle, son importateur au Maroc fait sienne devant la presse nationale. Une rencontre qui intervient alors que la marque jouit d’un fort engouement auprès des acheteurs.

Voilà des années maintenant que les automobiles de Citroën se sont affranchies de leur image vieillotte et pépère. Merci à toute la gamme C, talentueusement crayonnée par l’équipe de Jean-Pierre Ploué et forte d’un contenu technologique plutôt flatteur. Un double axiome sur lequel la marque aux chevrons veut désormais capitaliser en changeant d’identité visuelle et de slogan. Exit donc, les deux chevrons aiguisés et greffés sur un carré rouge, ainsi que la –longue– devise «Vous n’imaginez pas, tout ce que Citroën peut faire pour vous». En collaboration avec des agences publicitaires de renom (Landor et H, filiale de Havas), les marketteurs de la marque ont «pondu» l’une des plus belles identités visuelles du moment. Le logo est toujours constitué par les deux chevrons, mais qui sont désormais libérés de leur cadre et en trois dimensions. Une mise en relief accentuée par l’aspect «métallique» du double chevron et soulignée par l’épigraphe «CITROËN», écrite de façon aussi sobre que flashy avec son rouge vif. Bref, du beau travail artistique et infographique, dont les responsables de la marque peuvent être fiers. Encore plus épurée est la nouvelle accroche publicitaire, qui raccourcit pour devenir : «Créative Technologie». Deux mots pour rappeler que le constructeur, fondé par le grand André et jadis basé au Quai de Javel, a toujours été avant-gardiste comme peut en témoigner l’Histoire. On pourrait ainsi évoquer la coque autoporteuse de la Traction Avant ou encore les organes hydrauliques de la DS. Et justement, cette voiture dont le mythe reste indélébile un demi-siècle après sa naissance, revient dans les feux de l’actualité. Sauf, qu’elle va non pas être ressuscitée –au grand désarroi des plus nostalgiques–, mais donner ses deux lettres (de noblesse) à un nouveau concept dans la gamme Citroën. Les lettres DS (pour «Different Spirit», soit «Esprit Différent») seront désormais associées à une gamme parallèle chic et dotée d’une finition distinctive, voire haut de gamme. Première illustration de cette nouvelle ligne de produits, le concept-car «DS Inside» a été présenté au dernier Salon de Genève (voir photo) et annonce l’arrivée d’ici 2010 des DS3, DS4 et DS5. Enfin et parallèlement à ces deux modifications d’ordre sémiologique, c’est tout le réseau commercial d’Automobiles Citroën, soit 8.000 points de vente dans le monde, qui est appelé à radicalement changer d’ici 5 ans. Au-delà de l’aménagement des concessions, lesquelles seront entièrement revues et modernisées, c’est toute la relation client qui subirait une totale refonte selon les responsables de la marque. Un énième défi que le staff dirigeant de Citroën Maroc semble avoir bien anticipé. Entre les bonnes ventes du trio C4, C4 Picasso et C5 d’une part, et le taux de satisfaction élevé de la clientèle, jamais la marque aux chevrons ne s’était si bien portée dans le Royaume.

Crise à Air Sénégal: les avions de Royal Air Maroc ne desservent plus Dakar

DAKAR - La compagnie aérienne Royal Air Maroc (RAM) ne dessert plus Dakar avec ses propres avions depuis mercredi et "jusqu'à nouvel ordre", et a "rapatrié" mercredi un des ses appareil utilisé par Air Sénégal International (ASI), a indiqué jeudi à l'AFP le porte-parole d'ASI Matar Diop.

"Les avions de la RAM ne viennent plus du tout à Dakar, depuis hier (mercredi) et jusqu'à nouvel ordre. Il y a un bras de fer entre deux partenaires, chacun utilise les armes qu'il a", a-t-il ajouté.

D'autre part, un avion de la RAM utilisé par ASI, qui était mercredi à Cotonou avec 106 passagers à bord, a "été rapatrié au Maroc". Aucune explication n'a été donnée à l'ASI, selon le porte-parole. Les passagers ont pris d'autres compagnies aériennes.

Royal Air Maroc et l'Etat du Sénégal sont en conflit ouvert depuis près de deux ans sur la gestion de leur filiale commune Air Sénégal International.

M. Diop s'est néanmoins déclaré confiant sur une issue prochaine au conflit.

"Nous sommes convaincus que la solution de la sagesse va prévaloir. Les relations entre les deux pays sont tellement importantes, les deux chefs d'Etat vont donner des instructions pour qu'une solution soit trouvée", a-t-il affirmé.

Air Sénégal International a été créée à la fin de l'année 2000 avec un capital détenu à 51% par la RAM et 49% par l'Etat du Sénégal.

Lundi, la justice sénégalaise a interdit à Royal Air Maroc de se retirer de la gestion d'Air Sénégal International.

Mardi, le PDG de RAM, Driss Benhima, avait annoncé son intention de faire appel.

"L'arrêt prévisible de l'activité d'Air Sénégal International est la conséquence inévitable de la situation de conflit créée par sa partie sénégalaise", indiquait un communiqué de la compagnie marocaine.

"Le tribunal (sénégalais) a prévu la désignation d'un expert judiciaire pour un nouvel audit et l'interdiction pour RAM de se retirer de la gestion d'ASI jusqu'à la fin de la mission de l'expert judiciaire, sous peine d'une astreinte financière excessivement lourde", selon la compagnie marocaine.

"RAM fait appel de la décision et se prépare à un arrêt prochain des activités d'ASI", avait affirmé le PDG de RAM.

La partie sénégalaise a réagi dans la nuit de mercredi à jeudi par un communiqué du président du conseil d'administration d'ASI, Maniang Faye.

"S'Il est effectivement exact que l'Etat du Sénégal a pris l'initiative de saisir le tribunal compétent sénégalais en la matière, cela est dû au diktat de la RAM qui, unilatéralement et brutalement, a voulu imposer une date à son partenaire pour son retrait, tant du capital que de la gestion d'ASI et ce de façon tout à fait illégale", selon le texte.

Fin 2007, l'Etat sénégalais avait annoncé sa décision de prendre le contrôle de la compagnie, en reprochant à la RAM d'avoir mal géré l'entreprise. Début 2009, la RAM a pressé l'Etat sénégalais de prendre effectivement le contrôle d'ASI, sans quoi elle se retirerait de la gestion.

Investissement : Le Maroc « trompé » par les investisseurs étrangers ?

Le Maroc serait-il berné par des investisseurs étrangers avec des annonces surdimensionnées ? En raison de la crise, certains grands projets ont été reportés ou arrêtés. Pour d’autres, il serait temps d’évoquer les responsabilités après ces signatures avec des investisseurs peu sérieux

Depuis plusieurs semaines, les informations se multiplient sur l’arrêt des travaux de plusieurs grands chantiers lancés en grande pompe les années précédentes. Colony Capital à Taghazout, Sama Dubaï à Rabat (Bouregreg), Renault Nissan à Tanger, Emaar à l’Oukaïmedden, Rabat, Tanger et Casablanca, Al Qudhra Holding à Bouznika et Larache, sont les plus couramment cités, mais bien d’autres seraient ainsi mis en sommeil, voire carrément annulés.
Bien évidemment, les pouvoirs publics restent très discrets sur ce scandale qui tendrait à prouver que notre cher gouvernement a bel et bien été berné par des investisseurs peu sérieux, voire des groupement (pour certains venus d’Orient), qui auraient voulu essentiellement spéculer grâce au foncier acquis à bas prix plutôt que d’engager réellement des projets de développement infrastructurel ou touristique, d’aménagement territorial ou des ensembles immobiliers.
L’effet d’annonce a vécu et c’est avec une amertume certaine que les citoyens, qui se baladent aux abords de nos grandes villes, constatent la présence de grands panneaux annonçant telle ou telle réalisation qui, en vérité, ne verra jamais le jour.
Le Maroc, tel un gogo, est donc tombé dans le panneau et ces arnaques qui ne devraient pas rester impunies ou dissimulées. Des responsabilités, sans aucun doute, devraient être déterminées et assumées, notamment par ceux qui ont pris le risque d’engager la signature de l’Etat, sa crédibilité, sa réputation, mais aussi ses institutions, des terrains et des fonds dans des opérations quasiment fictives !
Si l’on peut comprendre, en raison des l’impact de la crise financière et économique internationale, le report probable de certains grands projets tel celui du terminal Tanger Med II, fruit d’un partenariat entre le groupe Akwa et le Danois APM, le lâchage de Nissan (parti investir en Espagne) au détriment du site de Tanger pour lequel Renault est toujours officiellement engagé, ce sont les grosses opérations foncières et immobilières d’opérateurs, prétendument riches et puissants, originaires du Golfe qui interpellent aujourd’hui les pouvoirs publics. De même, les défaillances d’aménageurs occidentaux flamboyants, candidats dans le cadre du Plan Azur, ne devraient plus être passées sous silence par un gouvernement embarrassé et pris à son propre piège des effets d’annonces surdimensionnés.
Ainsi, qu’en est-il vraiment aujourd’hui de l’avenir de la station prévue à Taghazout. Colony Capital, à qui on a fait les yeux doux pendant des mois et des mois, est-il toujours dans la course ? Ne sait-on pas, en haut lieu, que ses managers auraient récemment fait le tour des aménageurs développeurs locaux et des fonds d’investissements touristiques et hôteliers pour leur céder le projet ?
Pour plusieurs observateurs avertis et des acteurs importants du secteur, les jeux seraient faits et le show récent du PDG de Colony avec plusieurs haut responsables gouvernementaux à Agadir n’était , en fait, que « le chant du cygne »…
Il serait donc fortement question que Taghazout retombe dans l’escarcelle d’un opérateur national de premier ordre, lequel, d’ailleurs, avait été à l’origine de ce projet avant d’être évincé par le groupe Dallal Baraka qui, par la suite, prouva avec un éclat particulier son incompétence…
Mais ce qui vaut pour Colony vaut également pour le Belge Thomas et Piron, partenaire des projets Port Lixus (Larache) et actionnaire de la SAEMOG (Essaouira Mogador) et de la SAVO (Ouarzazate). Celui qui était arrivé au Maroc en fanfare, accompagné du Batave Orco, (qui a été le premier à jeter l’éponge après de juteuses plus-values au bon moment), précédé de sa réputation de spécialiste des parcours golfiques, est désormais out et c’est le Groupe Alliances Développement International, que dirige M. Alami Lazraq, qui sauve les trois projets. En effet, ADI s’est porté acquéreur de 83,5% de Port Lixus, 20% de la SAEMOG (où évolue Risma) et 20% de SAVO, accompagné d’un autre opérateur touristique et hôtelier marocain, le fonds H Partners, co-brandé par Attijariwafa bank et la Banque Populaire.
On retiendra donc de ces péripéties, que le Maroc, qui a un temps cru en l’apport extérieur en capital et en expertise, pour le tourisme, l’aménagement territorial ou l’immobilier, doit en réalité compter sur ses propres forces et quelques opérateurs de qualité qui sont présents au Maroc depuis longtemps tel Accor, actionnaire du fonds Risma et premier hôtelier du Royaume, la Somed ou le CMKD. Les « gros » investisseurs et autres « grands professionnels » venus de Dubaï, de Bruxelles, d’Amsterdam ou de Madrid (Fadesa) sont sortis en catimini, non sans réaliser, pour la plupart, de belles affaires... Un tel scandale restera-t-il impuni ?
Alliances, le chevalier blanc
Alliances Développement International s’affirme désormais comme le premier aménageur et développeur national, mais aussi comme le premier groupe immobilier et touristique intégré du pays. Il agit ainsi quasiment en chevalier blanc et prouve que la réalité de l’heure s’exprime par la montée en puissance, les capacités financières et techniques et l’expertise de groupes nationaux opérant de longue date dans leurs métiers de base, eux qui sont aptes à s’allier avec les meilleurs et les plus sérieux des étrangers.
La longue relation qui unit par exemple Alliance à Accor n’est un secret pour personne et a permis à l’un et l’autre partenaire de réaliser de grands projets, dans le tourisme et l’hôtellerie à Casablanca, Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Agadir, Essaouira, etc. C’est sans doute pour cela que M. Yann Caillère, numéro 2 d’Accor, a fait l’éloge de M. Alami Lazraq lors de l’inauguration récente du Suitehôtel de Marrakech, au moment où ADI entrait dans la SAEMOG, et pourrait apporter une participation précieuse dans d’autres projets (Sofitel Agadir notamment).