Morocco - Growing the Car Industry

According to the Wall Street Journal, Morocco has surpassed South Africa as an automotive hub on the African continent and is expected to produce more cars a year than Italy

The kingdom is also becoming a major supplier to European car factories, including Ford's high-tech plant in Valencia, Spain, which imports seating, interior accessories, wiring and home appliances.

The French manufacturer Renault, which has a market share of more than 40% in the region, has built two assembly plants in the last five years in Morocco, with a production of more than 200,000 cars a year. Similarly, Peugeot, which is banking on a major expansion project, is building a plant in Morocco, whose production is expected by the end of the year.

According to the Wall Street Journal, global carmakers see great growth potential in North Africa and are turning the region into a manufacturing hub. Volkswagen, Renault,Peugeot, Hyundai and Toyota have invested billions of dollars in Africa in recent years, attracted by growth prospects that other more mature automotive markets can no longer offer.

New car sales in the United States, China and Europe are currently declining after an exceptional decade, while the Middle East market and Africa, although still small, is expected to have 90 million vehicles by 2040, compared with 59 million currently.

The Wall Street Journal also notes that in a report released last May, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) congratulated policymakers in the North Africa and Middle East region for implementing economic and financial reforms.


SHARE THIS!

Morocco Installs Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles

Morocco's Institute for Research in Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN) has announced the start of the installation of the first charging stations for electric vehicles in Morocco's highway rest areas.

As part of the Green Miles project, initiated by IRESEN in partnership with Schneider Electric, Autoroutes du Maroc are working on the establishment of the first pilot network of charging stations at rest areas every 60 km along the Tanger-Agadir motorway.

"In total, there are 37 terminals, with 74 charging points of different powers that are being installed on the highway rest areas to cover the 800 km route," said the statement, adding that the establishment is part of a global approach that integrates coupling with solar power, intelligent communication between terminals and the development of innovative solutions that take into account all the specificities of the Moroccan socio-economic context.

Initiated in 2017, these facilities are the result of numerous research and development projects on sustainable mobility that the Institute has conducted since 2014 at its research platform Green Energy Park in Benguerir.

Studies have demonstrated the importance of charging infrastructure as a driver for the development of electric mobility in Morocco. Thus urban areas are in full expansion, and a significant source of solar energy, electric cars, which can be adopted to renew the current fleet, while saving more than 15 million tons of CO2 equivalent per year.

The charging stations were co-financed by the IRESEN and the Schneider-Electric group, while the engineering, the studies and the installation of the charging stations are done jointly by the fuel distributors, IRESEN and ADM.

The first stations of the Afriquia group are in the process of being equipped and will be followed in the next three weeks by the installation of the charging stations in the other rest areas of the fuel dispensers present on the Tanger-Agadir motorway.


SHARE THIS!

Bull Bars to be Banned in Morocco

An surprise announcement by Morocco's Ministry of Transport has decreed that protection bars on vehicles (Bull bars) will be prohibited from 1 January 2018.

The Ministry says this change is part of a strengthening of road safety and aimed at protecting pedestrians and vulnerable road users. Such a device mounted on a vehicle will be considered as a defect as of the beginning of the new year.

It is unclear if the decree will apply to vehicles brought into the country by tourists.

And, no jaywalking!

This news comes at the same time as police have started enforcing the use of zebra crossings. The law is included on the 2010 Traffic Regulation but is still not extensively applied.

From now and on, crossing streets in Morocco outside of zebra crosses is subject to a MAD 20 to MAD 50 fine. The law has set the settlement fine at MAD 25.

SHARE THIS!

Marrakech Launches Electric Buses

From Thursday (28th of September) Marrakech is putting electric busses into service

This project was announced on the occasion of the COP22 summit, organised in November 2016 in Marrakech.

Morocco ordered 30 electric buses from the Chinese operator Yangtse and the Spanish company, Alsa, won the tender to operate the buses.

After their commissioning, these new buses will serve the first line, crossing Hassan II Boulevard, linking Bab Doukalla to the Al Massira district and its surroundings, as well as the second line connecting the M'Hamid districts and the city centre via the corridor reserved for at the boulevard "Guemassa".

Other boulevards and districts will be included later using the same mode of operation as the tram lines in Rabat and Casablanca, with the provision of easy access points for people with special needs.

In order to guarantee the supply of electricity to these buses, a solar power station was set up in partnership with the World Bank at the entrance to the city, adjacent to the urban perimeter in the constituency of Menara, and the beginning of the municipality of Saâda.

These 18-meter long tram-buses will have to transport more than 45,000 citizens every day to different parts of the ocher city.

SHARE THIS!

Green Bus Line for Rabat

A new environmentally-friendly bus service will be in operation around the city of Rabat by summer 2018, according to Maghreb Arab Press (MAP)

In a report carried by Morocco World News, Mohamed Sadiki, vice-president of the Al Assima group, who are in charge of the management of urban transport, has said that the modernisation of transport services in the kingdom’s capital will be done through the introduction of the new green line.

Al Assima launched an international call for tenders for the bus project in February, but Sadiki says, “the identity of the project bidder will not be unveiled until the summer of 2018.”

Al Assima aims for the bus line to alleviate city traffic congestion and is committed to renewing the fleet by rolling out as many as 600 vehicles.

The 1,084-kilometer-long transport network in Rabat-Sale-Skhirat-Temara is served by 58 lines and the number of passengers is estimated at 60 million people per year

It is hoped the easing of traffic congestion will also lower the accident rate. This week, thirty-six people were injured after two buses collided Wednesday night in Rabat.

SHARE THIS!

A Trans-Maghreb TGV ~ Feasibility Study

The possibility of taking a train journey across the Maghreb is back on the table. A TGV link between Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria could become one of the great train trips

Nothing is certain, but the project to rehabilitate the Trans-Maghreb train is underway. The Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) is holding the 3rd ordinary session of the commission to oversee the feasibility study of this ambitious project.

The four day session will be devoted to the evaluation of the technical and financial offers presented by consulting firms that participated in the invitation to tender. The study is financed to the tune of $1.7 million by the African Development Bank (ADB).


SHARE THIS!

ALERT ~ MOROCCAN MOTORWAY DISRUPTION

Notice to motorists: a 48-hour strike will disrupt traffic on the Kingdom's highways from Sunday to Tuesday

Some motorway employees will be on strike from Sunday 9 April at 14:00 and until Tuesday 11 April at 14:00. The news came in a press release published late Saturday evening. As this strike coincides with the school holiday period, the statement recommends that motorists "avoid traveling during busy hours" and says .... "With the aim of preserving the safety and comfort of road users, Morocco will do everything possible to allow a return from holidays in good driving conditions."

There press release contained no further details.

Morocco's network of Motorways is administered by the state-owned company Autoroutes du Maroc (ADM), which runs the network on a pay-per-use basis, with toll stations placed along its length. The general speed-limit is 120 km/h.

SHARE THIS!

Moroccan Fuel Prices to Drop in April

Good news for locals and visitors alike - fuel prices are expected to fall sharply from the 1st of next month. And, no, it's not an April Fool joke! Fuel prices are expected to show the biggest decline in the last two years

Prices are expected to fall by an average of 33 cents for diesel, while petrol drops 17 cents per litre.

According to L'Economiste diesel consumption dominates with 83% share of the market. Since the closure of the Samir refinery, Morocco has been importing refined products. The current price of gas oil is about $ 450 a barrel, substantially the same as petrol. It is the taxes that make the difference to the consumer: about 3 dirhams per litre for diesel and 4 dirhams for petrol.

In order to fix the price of fuels in force for a fortnight, distributors rely on a calculation formula composed of 95% of the average of the international quotations and the dollar. After that the average of the quotations must be multiplied by the average of the dollar. "Whenever there is a decline in oil prices, it is passed on to consumers. It is also valid in the event of an increase," says Adil Ziady, president of the Petroleum Grouping of Morocco (GOC). To guard against fluctuations in the dollar, some companies are hedging. The objective is not to be taken short in case of a sharp rise in the US currency between the time of purchase and payment, which occurs 30 days after delivery.

Since the abolition of the former subsidy, fuel prices have been free. They are in principle determined according to the cost structure of each company. The oil companies advise their trading network of price levels to remain competitive. But they are not obliged to apply them to the nearest cent. Moreover, the Law on Freedom of Prices and Competition prohibits the formation of cartels and price fixing.

SHARE THIS!

Free Wi-Fi at Moroccan Railway Stations

The Moroccan National Office of Railways (ONCF) issued a statement this week announcing that it intends to install free Wi-Fi connections in all railway stations across the Kingdom

The Casa Port Station has free Wi-Fi now

For the last 5 years the ONCF has been running a test period of "Hot Spot ONCF".

However, while the new Wi-Fi Network is set to cover even the most remote train stations across the country, the introduction will be a "gradual process".

To connect: no software has to be downloaded, no password. Just select the network called "ONCF," fill out a short form and the connection is established automatically.

It is intended that internet connection will also be made available onboard trains on the main railway networks.

SHARE THIS!

Eid Is Coming - And So Are The Sheep

With only a few days until the festival of Eid, the streets of Fez are alive to the sound of sheep!

Walking the sheep - not so easy 

Children inspect every sheep that arrives

Transport - the easy way

How many children does it take to move a sheep?

Once you have your sheep - you need charcoal

SHARE THIS!

Road Safety in Morocco Improves

A few years ago road safety was a major problem in Morocco, now things are changing, with generally better driving skills and the introduction of speed cameras and more rigorous vehicle inspections

With more and more cars on the roads, the number of accidents have increased. However, Moroccan drivers, aware of the cost of insurance and repairs, are now much better behaved on the roads than they were a decade ago.

Between 2013 and 2015 vehicle inspectors checked 201,729 vehicles, finding 17 617 offences - 8.73, per 100 vehicles checked.

These figures were provided by the ministry in charge of transport during the meeting dedicated to the presentation of the results and prospects of the Road Control Committee under the Ministry.

The meeting is part of the implementation of a national road safety strategy running from 2016 to 2025, which aims to reduce by 50% the number of victims of traffic accidents.

The balance of 4646 call centre for the first six months of 2016 reported, meanwhile, reported 625 vehicles of public transport, and intercepted 223 vehicles checked and recorded 170 offences.

Participants at the meeting adopted a plan for the automatic control of cargo trucks and the revision of the method of determining locations of roadside checks.

Busses and trucks may now be controlled automatically

A total of 802 803 minutes of speed camera video were recorded during the first eight months of the current year by the National Treatment Centre of offences detected by speed cameras.

The head of the Highway Safety Division, Chahidi Azzedine, welcomed the establishment of the 4646 call centre that allows citizens to report offences committed by bus drivers. "625 public transport vehicles were reported through this call centre in the first six months of 2016," he said, which led to the interception of 223 vehicles and registration of 170 offences.

SHARE THIS!

Extraordinary Security at Mohammed V Airport Upsets Travellers

Both local travellers and tourists are united in condemning the security measure that has caused visitors arriving to welcome friends, family or tourists, being forced to wait outside the terminal building in the extreme summer heat

The situation has been described by The Economist as "a mess" and describes the situation as "harsh". Tourist operators are more blunt, saying that treating people like sheep is embarrassing and does not give arriving visitors a feeling of being welcomed by the usual Moroccan hospitality. Similar conditions are replicated at other airports such as Fez.

The reason for this herding outside of the public is not a response to the summer influx, but rather a rather ham-fisted security measure. As The Economist points out... "It remains an open question as to its effectiveness: the crowds (and soliciting clients by taxi drivers) is now avoided inside but eventually ends up at ... outside! Which slows the flow of travellers and gives rise to messy scenes".

On the other hand the increased security inside the terminal appears to be working well.

Meanwhile, the number of passengers at Mohammed V airport in Casablanca has grown by 4.47% in May compared to the same period last year. The figures were released by ONDA, the national airport office.

The figures show that 707,790 travellers used the airport in May compared to 677,514 the same period a year earlier.

Passengers on board flights to or from Europe decreased by 1.56%, whereas travellers to or from Latin America and Asia registered a considerable rebound of 47.56% and 16.35% respectively. The number of domestic passengers rose by 9.56%.

In terms of the number of travellers by country, France tops the list with 150.310 passengers, followed by Italy (51, 327), Spain (36,502) and Turkey (26,497).

SHARE THIS!

Mohammed VI Opens Rabat Bypass

On Thursday, His Majesty King Mohammed VI opened the 3.2 billion dirham Rabat motorway bypass and the longest cable-stayed bridge in Africa. The bridge has been named "The Mohammed VI Bridge"

Construction works were launched by the King in February 2011 as part of Mohammed V1's major structural projects policy after his accession to the throne.

This section of the highway has been a traffic bottleneck for years causing major disruptions and slow travelling times because it was the confluence of the major highways serving the South, Central, North and East of the country.

The project will not only relieve traffic on the existing ring road of the city of Rabat, but cut down the high numbers of heavy goods traffic, significantly reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. It is expected that the bypass will carry some 20,000 vehicles each day with economic benefits for the major centres of the Rabat and Salé with time savings and lower route and transport costs.

In a press statement, the Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Logistics, Aziz Rabbah, stressed that the bypass highway "will reduce transit times between regions, contributing to strengthening road safety".

This new road infrastructure originates in the existing motorway from Casablanca-Rabat north of Skhirat. It bypasses the towns of Mers El Kheir, Tamesna El Menzeh to Technopolis in Sala Al Jadida, where it ends by plugging into the beginning of the highway Salé-Kenitra.

On the terms of accessibility and connectivity, Rabat motorway bypass includes several improvements: a junction with Highway Casablanca-Rabat, an interchange to serve the new city of Tamesna, an interchange at the Common menzeh overlooking the boulevard Mohammed VI (Rabat), an interchange at Sala Al Jadida and another at Technopolis.

The bridge over the Oued Bouregreg is an exceptional structure, and at 950 metres, is the longest cable-stayed bridge Africa. Its two towers are 200 meters high and there is a wide apron of over 30 meters. This contemporary bridge, which provides several advantages in terms of aesthetics, safety, technical and environmental prowess, is distinguished by its architecture inspired by the Arab-Muslim civilisation. The two towers symbolise the new doors to the cities of Rabat and Salé.

The construction of the Rabat motorway bypass required a multitude of structures, including 16 underpasses, 14 overpasses, 7 vehicle passages and two pedestrian crossings.

SHARE THIS!

Casablanca - Rabat Highway Becomes Swimming Pool !

This week's heavy rain has caused a massive problem on the highway between Casablanca and Rabat

Rising damp? A lack of drainage created a lake 

The rain exposed a problem in the road construction - a severe lack of drainage! As the rain fell the water accumulated and turned one section of the highway into a giant swimming pool. Cars and trucks were stranded and police and rescue vehicles had problems evacuating the large numbers of drivers in trouble.

Hopefully a drainage system will be quickly installed so that this kind of problem is averted in the future.

Many other areas experienced minor flooding 

On Thursday many areas in the Kingdom experienced rain and snow. Fortunately, the week ahead looks fine with little rain and temperatures rising into the mid-twenties. Fez is expecting fine weather over the holiday weekend with sunshine and daytime temperatures between 21 and 23 degrees Celsius.

SHARE THIS!

New Ferry Service From Granada to Tangier

The German FRS shipping company has announced that it will launch a new service between Motril (Granada, southern Spain) and the port of Tangier

This connection, which will focus mainly on the transport of goods, will be operational during the second half of January at a rate of seven weekly crossings.  The head of FRS, José Carlos Delgado said, "This service is a new opportunity for our customers, who can now reduce the transport distance, which will help reduce transportation costs".

The German company is one of the main companies in the field of passenger and freight transport in the Strait of Gibraltar with over 1.7 million passengers and 400,000 vehicles transported per year.

The new route is in addition to services linking the port of Motril with the Moroccan cities of Nador and Al Hoceima.

SHARE THIS!

Photo Essay - Road Trip to Morocco's South

Professor Catharine Lumby, guest contributor to The View From Fez, embarked on a trip around Morocco and discovered there was much more to the country than the persistent clichés 

Morocco. As a friend of mine said in an ironic Facebook post: ‘Give my love to the Beat poets’. That, of course, is the clichéd image of the country for Westerners. Tangier for the lit lovers. Casablanca for those who’ve only watched one classic movie. And desert. Lots of it.

That is not the Morocco I briefly discovered – and fell in love with. I had the privilege of seeing the country through the eyes of one of my oldest friends. Suzanna and I went to high school together and it was extraordinary to have the opportunity to stay with her, her husband Sandy and their young son in their beautiful riad in Fez.

Even more amazing was the trip Suzanna took my mother Judy and myself on over the Atlas mountains. A road trip that very few tourists bother to – or dare to – take. My Lonely Planet guide was full of warnings about ‘dangerous roads’.

They didn’t stop Suzanna. She drove us up and down hairy mountain passes and we got to see unimaginable vistas. I’m still struggling to describe the radical beauty and the diversity of the topography.

Professor Catharine Lumby (right) with Suzanna Clarke

The real Morocco can’t be found in the three major cities. It’s there in the cracks – the twists and turns of small towns and souks. In the amazing kasbahs set into precipitous mountain sides. In the quotidian smiles and greetings and roadside meals of a journey through the country. When you leave the major towns and take a real road trip, Morocco opens itself up to you. It has a warm and large heart, as I discovered. I will be returning.

Professor Judy Lumby

In the meantime, if you go, please think about taking a road trip across country. Fez to Marrakesh changed my life. Get advice on finding a good driver – you cant have Suzanna (she’s mine). But do it. You won't see the real Morocco any other way.

Professor Catharine Lumby is Director of the Journalism and Media Research at the University of New South Wales. She travelled Morocco with her mother, Professor Judy Lumby, A.M. and writer and photographer Suzanna Clarke, who is Features editor for The View From Fez.


SHARE THIS!

Casablanca Wants To Ban Uber Taxis

Back in July there was much excitement in Casablanca when it was announced that the city would become the 328th city in the world to have Uber taxi services available. However, now Uber's future is in doubt

In July, Meryem Belqziz, the General Director of Uber Morocco, said that... “To ensure our services respect the highest standards, we will begin by a soft launch. While the service will be operational for a week in Casablanca, the official launch is scheduled in a few months.”

However, Uber have now run into a roadblock. The Wilaya of Casablanca has said that Uber Morocco is illegal and promises sanctions against lawbreakers.

In a statement relayed by the official news agency MAP on August 4, the Wilaya of Casablanca stated that... "the company had not requested any license governed by the law. The activity of Uber Morocco is not allowed and exposes all those who work there and the drivers to administrative and legal sanctions." The statement went on to say that "The prefecture will take all necessary measures to ensure social peace in the transport sector".

Uber responds

"In light of the message of the Wilaya of Casablanca, Uber like to take this opportunity to clarify the way it operates in Casablanca," says Uber Morocco in a statement. "We are a technology company that provides an information service through its mobile application for transport companies with tourist transport authorisation granted by the Ministry of Tourism,"

"The cars usually having long waiting times between trips can now use our technology to be more effective because they are connected to passengers more quickly," says the company, which says it works in "respect of local laws "and that its technology is "open to any type of vehicle having a transport license ".

According Belqziz Meryem, Director of Uber Morocco,  "Our technology brings greater security to the current transportation system. By using the platform, passengers can see the driver's name, photo and license plate of the vehicle at the time of the order. They can share their journey in real time with friends and family via GPS technology. Moreover, all drivers employed by the tourist transport companies hold an authorisation card for each vehicle provided by the Ministry of Equipment and Transport.

"Several transportation Acts were written before smartphones and applications existed and we want to work with regulators to adapt regulation to the new technologies," said Meryem Belqziz.

She concluded: "We are changing a market that has so far been fairly quiet and are committed to continuing to deliver technology solutions that are tailored to the needs of citizens in the Moroccan transport market"

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Public opinion appears divided. Social media comments are split between those who would welcome anything that shakes up the taxi industry in Casa and provides more employment and those who see this as a foreign incursion to be shunned.

SHARE THIS!

Morocco's TGV to Run on Wind Power

A few years ago the idea of a train powered by the wind would probably have been relegated to the realms of science fiction. Now the Moroccan national railway authority, ONCF, are intending to make the idea a reality, developing a project to produce green energy for its electric train network

The ONCF is proposing a project to ally with an IPP, an independent power producer, and setting up a wind farm with a capacity of 150 MW. ONCF would purchase the green energy under an exclusive buyer contract lasting 20 years. The project would cost around two hundred million euros, according to early forecasts, and according to French media, ONCF is at the stage of preparing tender applications for the project.

When the notion of a high speed train running from Tangier to Casablanca was first floated, few believed it would come to fruition. Now the sceptics have been proved wrong and the project is well underway The first of the 14 trains on order arrived in Morocco at the end of July and after reassembly will undergo a series of static and dynamic tests. It is expected that the train will also be tested on the existing conventional network from the last quarter of this year before being tested on the high speed line. Each train set will include two power cars and eight intermediate carriages, including two first class, five second class and one buffet vehicle. Each double-deck train will seat up to 533 passengers.

The first of the 14 TGVs arrives in Morocco

An ONCF spokesperson says that the work on the high speed line is "progressing at a very fast pace after solving all the constraints the project faces". Some areas of construction are nearing completion, while overall 70% of the project is complete.  The remaining work is expected to be finished by the end of 2016.  Parallel work on railway equipment such as signalling and services is also progressing, with the first of the railway platforms  ready by the end of 2015

The completed  high-speed line will be delivered in 2017 to undergo a series of systems integration testing and approval before commercial operation.

But there is more. Morocco is already thinking about a high-speed network of 1500 km by 2030. This  would involve two rail openings; one north Europe and the other to the Maghreb in the east.

The line currently under construction, called 'the Atlantic line,'  linking Tangier to Casablanca, will be developed simultaneously to the south and north. To the south the line will extend 900 km to the city of Agadir. And to the north, the Atlantic line will connect to the European network via a tunnel under the Strait of Gibraltar.

When completed Rabat will be four hours from Madrid and eight hours from Paris. Morocco also plans a route named 'online Maghreb' 'of 600 km, linking Casablanca, Rabat and Oujda. Finally the Maghreb line could extend further and reach Algiers and Tunis.

The Moroccan TGV will run at an operating speed of 320 km per hour. Leaving every hour it is intended they will travel from Tangier to Kenitra in 47 minutes instead of 3:15 today, to Rabat in 1 hour 20 minutes against 3:45 today and in Casablanca in 2:10 against 4:45 now. It is expected that the first section of the TGV Tangier - Casablanca, will carry between 6 and 8 million passengers every year as against 3.5 million today.

SHARE THIS!

Marhaba! 1.48 Million Moroccans Come Home for Holidays

More than 1.48 million Moroccans living abroad (MRE) have returned to Morocco since the launch of the operation "Marhaba 2015" on June 5,  according to Anis Birou, the Minister for Moroccans Living Abroad and Business Migration

Anis Birou

The number of MRE having returned to Morocco has increased by 21.41% compared to the same period of 2014, Anis Birou says that the Ministry has taken all necessary measures to improve the arrival and departure of Moroccans living abroad. Various areas have been improved including the mobilisation of 23 vessels, an increase in air traffic and the establishment of 150 bus routes compared with 119 in 2014.

According to ministry statistics, the number of passengers arriving via boats is estimated at some 72,136, with around 20 087 vehicles per day. Authorities intend to mobilise an extra two boats during peak periods or in the event of failure of one of the boats from the main fleet. The objective is to ensure the flow of traffic at the ports.

The national airline, RAM, has added additional flights and engaged large capacity aircraft to ensure passenger comfort. Unfortunately for the airline, the delays and overbooking for passengers travelling from New York have done little to enhance an already poor reputation.

The 150 bus lines cover the European countries with a strong presence of the Moroccan community, such as France, Spain, Italy and Belgium. According to ministry figures, 72 foreign companies and 42 Moroccan companies are operating those lines.

In order to improve the running of the operation, the authorities have focused on strengthening security measures at all levels, with 2,300 police officers involved.  Some 500 police officers and 670 auxiliary forces have been mobilised in the various border points and rest areas. Also, scanners and detection equipment are deployed at the borders.

For Moroccans going on holiday in their own country, the impact of the huge influx is felt mostly on the roads. Traffic is particularly heavy at the moment and with the heatwave continuing, many are choosing to drive late at night. Drivers are advised to keep their speed down, drink plenty of water and take frequent rest stops


SHARE THIS!