Country Profile

Morocco is the 25th-largest country in Africa and has a geographic area of 446,550 sq km. The country’s political capital is Rabat, but the largest city by far, as well as the business and economic capital, is Casablanca, located 85 km from Rabat. The current king, Mohammed VI, came to power in 1999. The country has seen substantial socio-economic changes during the current king’s reign, including many notable improvements in socio-economic indicators, though challenges remain. GDP per capita, in constant prices and purchasing power parity terms, has risen by more than two-thirds over the period. The king has called for improvements in education and training provision, as well as greater efforts to secure jobs for young Moroccans. These calls have been reflected in recent policy changes, among them an increase in education spending in the 2019 budget, and plans to overhaul the professional and vocational training system. This chapter contains a viewpoint with King Mohamed VI; interviews with Akinwumi Adesina, President, African Development Bank; Simon McDonald, Permanent Under-Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK; and Mohcine Jazouli, Minister Delegate for African Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.