India continues its “South Cooperation” policy, launched since its independence in 1947, aimed at enhancing economic presence and political relations with the African continent. Currently, New Delhi considers Morocco as a fundamental cornerstone in completing its strategy.
Two days ago, this Asian nation accelerated this “economic expansion,” as IndiGo airline announced its “first air route between Casablanca and New Delhi”. Simultaneously, the HCL Tech Group, specializing in technology, announced the “establishment of a software development center in the Kingdom.”
According to figures from the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, “the year 2022 was exceptional in terms of trade volume between Rabat and New Delhi, exceeding for the first time $3 billion.” This is a clear indication of increasing economic cooperation between the two countries, given India’s recognition of “the importance of the Kingdom as a gateway to the African continent,” the latter posing “a crucial battlefield against Chinese competition.”
In this context, Abdul-Khaliq Al-Tahami, an economic researcher and analyst, said, “India is not the only country relying on Rabat to penetrate the African market; most major countries perceive Rabat in the same light.”
Al-Tahami added to Hespress that “this positive economic expansion of India in the Kingdom will yield very significant returns for the national economy, as it will contribute to job creation and acquisition of distinguished Indian experience globally.”
The same economic researcher and analyst pointed out that “New Delhi is a very important client for the Kingdom of Morocco in the field of phosphates.” Citing the agreement signed last January, which revealed Morocco supplying India with up to 1.7 million tons of fertilizers.
The speaker continued: “Enhancing economic cooperation between Morocco and India comes within the framework of the Kingdom’s policy to diversify its partners globally, a policy that has been greatly successful to date,” highlighting that “this matter contributes to strengthening the industrial fabric, creating jobs, and enhancing exports.”
Regarding the potential direction of Moroccan companies towards the East, specifically India, Al-Tahami emphasized that “this comes with time, especially as the Indian market is continent-sized; this requires a long study and a tight strategy before finalizing the direction.”
On his part, Khaled Benali, an economic analyst, explained that “the entry of the Indian investor into Morocco did not come out of courtesy; it came because he found his complete economic requirements, from stability, infrastructure, qualified workforce to a robust investment and business climate.”
Benali told Hespress that “India’s reliance on Rabat as a gateway to the African continent is not a new matter, in light of the same growing trend among most of the world’s major economies.” He noted that “Morocco’s attraction for investments, whether Indian or from other countries in the field of high technologies, means that the Kingdom now has a modern productive structure that keeps pace with the technological development in the digital industrial field,” according to the speaker.
The same economic analyst believed that “the Chinese-Indian competition on the African continent falls within the context of similar global competition for new markets worldwide,” emphasizing that “Morocco also needs to determine an export strategy to also be an actor in this global competition.”
