Speaking at the 4th edition of Industry Meeting Days Morocco, organized by Industrie du Maroc Magazine, the Minister said that national sovereignty is defined as a national priority of the Government Program and industrial sovereignty is a strategic issue for Morocco.

In this respect, he recalled that HM King Mohammed VI had highlighted, during His speech, last October 8, at the opening of the first session of the 11th legislature's first legislative year, the importance of sovereignty in multiple fields, including health, energy, industry and food.

Morocco, under the enlightened leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, has experienced a succession of industrial strategies for 20 years, said the Moroccan minister, explaining that these have laid the foundations of modern industrial Morocco and position the Kingdom as a competitive hub at the regional level.

To exemplify, Mezzour cited the Plan Emergence (2005-2009), the National Pact for Industrial Emergence (2009-2014), the Plan for Industrial Acceleration (PAI, 2014-2020) and the Plan for Industrial Recovery (PRI, 2021-2023).

This momentum of industrial acceleration, he continued, was reinforced by the PAI which has helped to make the Moroccan industry a major provider of jobs, a contributor to the balance of trade and a catalyst for productive investment.

Mezzour said that the COVID-19 crisis was revealing the resilience and agility of local industry and its significant potential, noting that Morocco has managed to ensure the continuous and normal supply of the domestic market, to meet the needs of Moroccans at 60,000 outlets.

In this regard, he cited some measures undertaken to limit the impact of the containment and health crisis on Moroccan citizens, in this case the support of food manufacturers in monitoring safety stocks of inputs that are essential to the continuity of production, while ensuring price stability for consumers.

"We are convinced that Morocco must continue its efforts to transform this crisis into opportunities to continue to innovate, produce locally, strengthen industry and gradually move up the value chains," said the Minister.

He also noted that the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to adopt a new paradigm, through the relocation of certain value chains, to ensure the security, continuity and fluidity of value chains.