"The importance of this sector in Morocco is perceptible beyond the investments it attracts (MAD 11.9 billion in 2020), its share in national exports (more than 21% in value in 2020) and its beneficial impact on regional development, without forgetting its positive impact on the dynamics in the transport sector and on the port activity," said Benali, who was speaking via video conference as part of a panel at the 6th Senegal International Mining Conference & Exhibition (SIM Senegal 2021), to be held from November 2 to 4 in Dakar, under the theme "Promotion and development of local content, a lever for optimizing socio-economic benefits in the extractive sector”.

However, she added, "we are aware of the challenges facing the mining sector, especially excluding phosphates, like the historically mining countries.”

She called for continuing to discover new deposits, despite reduced investment budgets as a result of the pandemic, to optimize the added value of mined minerals and to assert the challenges of sustainable development.

In this regard, the Minister highlighted the Plan Maroc Mines 2021-2030 adopted by the Kingdom and which capitalized on the achievements of the 2013-2025 strategy to make the national mining sector a driver of responsible and sustainable development at local and regional levels.