Protectionism: Why must Morocco imperatively rethink its industrial strategies (Driss Benhima)

Mr. Benhima recalled in this sense the recent transformations in world industry, including the re -aging trend, which have been greatly accelerated by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. These events have highlighted the flaws of global logistics chains, encouraging many countries of the North to relocate their industries in order to reduce their dependence on geographic areas deemed too risky. “The crisis in Ukraine acted as a catalyst,” he said, adding that this relocation dynamic affects the key sectors of Moroccan industry hard, like that of textiles, of which certain production units have been transferred to Spain or at Portugal.

In contrast to this dynamic, Morocco, although it has made significant advances in certain industrial sectors, is found in a position of follower. According to the guest, “Morocco must realize that it faces an increased global competition, in which it has not yet found the right place”. The retraining of certain industries, especially in the high added value sectors, has thus become a necessity for the kingdom if it wants to hope to strengthen its competitiveness on the world market, he added.

Among the alert signals that Morocco must capture, according to Driss Benhima, is the prospect of a tariff war induced by the evolution of commercial policies of the great economic powers, at the forefront of which the European Union. He particularly insisted on the implications of the carbon adjustment mechanism to the borders (MacF), recently initiated by Brussels. This system, which provides for the imposition of a tax on products imported according to their carbon footprint, constitutes in his eyes a major paradigm change, carrying structural risks for the exporting economy of Morocco.

“Moroccan products may be penalized if their carbon footprint is deemed too high,” warned the former minister, highlighting the extent of the challenge posed by the normative environmental convergence imposed by the developed markets. For him, the implementation of this mechanism reflects a logic of climate protectionism to which developing countries, including Morocco, are not sufficiently prepared.

The stake exceeds simple technical adjustments. It is, according to Mr. Benhima, a change in the rules of international trade, where environmental standards become instruments of pricing regulation. For a country whose productive apparatus remains dependent on energy -consuming industries and little decarbon, the impact could be heavy. This European system directly threatens the competitiveness of Moroccan exports, especially in the key industrial sectors turned towards the European Union, the main trading partner of the Kingdom.

Faced with this situation, Driss Benhima calls for a strategic reconfiguration. “Morocco is a turning point. He cannot ignore the transformations in progress in the global economy, in particular the growing consideration of environmental considerations in trade policies, “he said. The question is no longer to question the need to adopt a greener industrial policy, but to act with speed to avoid progressive marginalization in the chains of global value.

In the era of “degradation of the international environment”, in his words, Mr. Benhima insists on the urgency of a structural adaptation, which supposes a rigorous anticipation of global normative developments. Alignment with sustainability requirements is not an option, but a strategic imperative to preserve the viability of the Moroccan productive sectors most exposed to the commercial turbulence of tomorrow.

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All to his lucidity, and taking into account the global context that takes shape, Driss Benhima spoke of an image heavy with meaning to illustrate the absence of a clear direction of the Moroccan industry. He has indeed qualified the evolution of the latter as “Brownian”, in reference to the random movement of the particles. According to him, the Moroccan industrial fabric evolves without overall coherence, according to isolated decisions, often dictated by external interests rather than by a thoughtful national strategy.

Industrial investments, he observed, respond more to occasional opportunities than a structuring plan thought in the long term. “It is the impulses from the outside that guide our productive choices,” he deplored. This logic of permanent adaptation, without anticipation or prioritization, weakens the country’s ability to register in sustainable value chains, according to the speaker.

From there, Mr. Benhima thus calls to break with this functioning to build an industrial policy capable of fixing guidelines, identifying priority sectors and anticipating the major transitions to come. He insisted on the urgency to give industrial action an overall coherence, through assumed choices, supported by a strategic vision and a rigorous reading of international developments.

Concretely, it is more than ever a question of activating internal action levers. In this sense, Driss Benhima highlights the urgency of a strategic state intervention to guide the national industry. For him, the current changes on the international scene cannot be approached effectively without assumed and structuring political piloting. “Politicians must decide,” he said with clarity, referring to the imperative of arbitrations between often divergent industrial orientations. The guest of “the info opposite” did not fail to question the very foundations of the Moroccan industrial strategy: should we favor a substitution substitution policy, aimed at reducing external dependence, or deepening integration in chains of overall value, by accepting a certain productive specialization? The dilemma does not stop there. Must be concentrated efforts on the high added value sectors, motors ofinnovation And competitiveness, or rather on those with high employment potential, more inclusive but less profitable in the short term?

For Mr. Benhima, these choices cannot be left neither to market dynamics or to private initiative, as dynamic as it is. The current configuration of global trademarked by geopolitical instability, protectionist policies and supply breaks, requires a built, anticipatory and resilient national industrial vision. This is why he did not hesitate to call for the reaffirmation of a strategic state, capable of formulating an industrial policy consistent with national priorities and global realities.