Morocco’s Mining Vision and African Vision: Towards Enhanced Industrial Sovereignty and a Sustainable Mining Sector

Morocco stands out as a model of sustainable mining governance, aligned with the African Mining Vision (AMV) and oriented towards industrial sovereignty. With consolidated national expertise, responsible resource management, and resilience in the face of crises, the Kingdom fully integrates principles of sustainability while harnessing its strategic and critical minerals to support key industrial sectors. Recent studies conducted by the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) and the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) highlight this progress and propose key structural pathways to enhance the sector’s attractiveness, secure supply chains, and strengthen Morocco’s position as a key player in mining development in Africa. This multidimensional challenge lies at the heart of the country’s industrial and environmental ambitions.

The Evolution of Morocco’s Mining Sector

Spanning over a century, Morocco’s mining industry is now seen as a model for adopting sustainable mining practices and contributing to the Kingdom’s industrial sovereignty. These are the main conclusions of two reports I had the honor to coordinate, one with the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) and the other within the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE).

Mining Industry and Sustainability in Morocco

The study entitled « Evaluation of Governance Initiatives and Approaches to Sustainable Resource Management in Morocco » was initiated by the AMDC to assess the alignment of national mining laws and policies with the African Mining Vision (AMV) in select African countries, including Morocco. It is important to note that the African Mining Vision, adopted by the African Union in 2009, aims to ensure transparent, equitable, and optimal exploitation of mineral resources to support large-scale sustainable socio-economic growth and development. The evaluation follows the African Mineral Governance Framework (AMGF), whose six pillars cover:

1. Legal and institutional frameworks;
2. Geological and mineral information systems;
3. Fiscal regime and revenue management;
4. Linkages, investment, and diversification;
5. Artisanal and small-scale mining; and
6. Environmental and social issues.

Before presenting the findings and conclusions of this critical study, I emphasize the high level of maturity achieved by Morocco’s mining sector. This maturity is reflected in the successful convergence of several aspects: stable governance; a dynamic and diversified mining industry; highly skilled national expertise; the ability to transform mining potential by organizing it into industrial value chains, such as phosphates and cobalt; and emerging opportunities to leverage critical minerals for battery industries and the country’s industrial sovereignty. Furthermore, there is growing awareness of environmental imperatives, local content, and social acceptance. The resilience of Morocco’s mining sector has also been highlighted by the exemplary commitment of national operators in response to external shocks, such as the 2009 systemic crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the recent Al Haouz earthquake.

The evaluation combines a hybrid approach: qualitative analysis based on interviews with stakeholders in the mining sector (institutions, operators, civil society, etc.) and quantitative analysis based on a review of policies, legislative documents, reports, and other relevant publications.

This study clearly demonstrated that Morocco ranks as « Advanced » in the AMDC’s evaluation framework. This positioning holds three key meanings. Firstly, it reflects strong alignment with AMV principles, showcasing Morocco’s ability to leverage its mining sector using sustainable practices to foster socio-economic development of communities and regions. Secondly, it demonstrates that the mining sector can actively contribute to the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Finally, it highlights that Morocco’s mining model can be shared through South-South partnerships to promote sustainable mining practices across the continent.

The Mining Sector and Morocco’s Industrial Sovereignty

In its advisory opinion, the CESE focused on the importance of strategic and critical minerals. Guided by the forward-looking ambitions outlined in the New Development Model (NDM) and considering the complexity and multidimensional challenges of the sector, as well as its vulnerability to external shocks, the CESE addresses the following question: How can we simultaneously and synchronously improve the mining sector’s economic, social, and environmental performance while placing strategic and critical minerals at the core of Morocco’s industrial sovereignty?

By cross-referencing criticality criteria with Morocco’s strategic priorities under the New Development Model and its key sectoral initiatives, the CESE proposed a version 1.0 list of 24 strategic and/or critical minerals for Morocco.

Recognizing industrial sovereignty as a strategic development objective, with the mining sector—and particularly critical minerals—at its heart, the CESE structured its recommendations around six key areas:

• Improving the general and institutional framework governing activities related to strategic and critical minerals;
• Reducing risks for investors and enhancing sector attractiveness by defining a financing strategy suited to the high-risk nature of mining activities;
• Enhancing and promoting sector productivity through R&D, human capital development, and support for SMEs;
• Securing supply chains and reducing vulnerability to external sources;
• Promoting national beneficiation of strategic and critical minerals for better positioning in value chains linked to the energy transition, digitalization, and NDM priorities;
• Fostering an inclusive and sustainable mining sector.

The two reports discussed above, developed in collaboration with institutional, private, and civil society actors, are, in my view, foundational for the trajectory of Morocco’s mining sector. The proposed conclusions and recommendations converge to enhance the international visibility of Morocco’s mining industry and increase its attractiveness to new operators, thereby multiplying investments in a sector that is capital-intensive, high-risk, and long-term in nature.

Dr. Abdellah MOUTTAQI, Executive Vice President of CMT, Member of CESE.