Morocco is an Arabic (and French) speaking country located in Northern Africa. Offshoring is something that it well supported and encouraged in Morocco because improves the economy significantlyand is motivating residents to obtain the necessary training to receive these new jobs. It's ideal proximity to France and the rest of Europe, puts it in a prime business area. In fact, it won the European Outsourcing Association award for "2012 Offshoring Destination of the Year." Mr. Hanof of the EOA added that the country deserves the award primarily because "it offers world class infrastructure, stable, competitive costs, and well-trained human resources, in combination with Morocco’s geographic, cultural and linguistic proximity to Europe"(Morocco Named). More and more countries around the world are opting to offshore to Morocco, which beat out Egypt, South Africa, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia for the award. Many industrial parks are being opened in Morocco for these new ventures including Casanearshore Park, Rabat Technopolis and Fès Shore, which opened officially on 20th of June. These industrial parks house over 100 multinational corporations and create jobs for 20,000 people, which is expected to grow to 90,000 by the year 2017. This obviously is a huge benefit to the economy of Morocco because more jobs are being created, and therefore more money is being brought in. King Mohammed VI of Morocco has jumpstarted, in 2008, an initiative throughout the kingdom to grow industry and create jobs. This "National Pact for Industrial Emergence" was developed to "implement innovative programs to improve the daily lives of citizens, and create wealth generators jobs for our youth" (King Mohammed VI). It is clear that offshoring is a welcomed prospect throughout the kingdom. Because so much of the business in Morocco is related to European countries, there is a demand for citizens to become fluent in more than one language. Most Moroccans are fluent in both French and Arabic; but most also study English and often Spanish as well. These new demands are pushing for a more rounded overall education, both in terms of needed job skills and the actual languages need to communicate with other countries. Morocco itself has a strong domestic industry in leather, textiles, and food, but they are recognizing the benefit of opening up sites to accomodate foreign corporations. These types of corporations include business in production and technology, including many factories opened in the industrial parks. The King is implementing training programs so Moroccans can get skill based jobs within these new companies. Offshoring in Morocco brings in many oppertunities to the kingdom due to all the jobs created and the push for a more rounded education for the youth. Morocco is truly becoming a global force in the business world.
Works Cited
"Morocco Named "2012 Offshoring Destination of the Year" by the European Outsourcing Association." Lemag : The Maghreb Daily. N.p., 29 June 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2013
"Presentation of the Sector." National Pact for Industrial Emergence. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013
Wow, I'm really impressed by this blog! I really love that instead of talking about the Middle East and North African countries as a whole, you talked about Morocco in a really specific and qualified way. I think the fact that you traveled to the country also adds to your qualifications to argue. One thing I'd like to compliment you on is your quote and statistic integration. You provided a lot of qualifying points such as the ones I mentioned above that really strengthened your argument. You also take on a more positive outlook to offshoring, which I don't think many people do. It's nice to see more people look at things in a positive light which are almost always looked at negatively. Overall, this was a great blog!
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