Morocco pitches investment potential to Manchester business leaders amid UK ties

Monday 04 - 09:27

By: Dakir Madiha

Morocco pitches investment potential to Manchester business leaders amid UK ties

Morocco's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Hakim Hajoui, traveled to Manchester on Friday to present the country's investment opportunities to a broad audience of British business leaders, in a meeting designed to deepen economic ties between the two nations. The event reflected a deliberate effort to extend Morocco-UK engagement beyond London and into northern England, a region the ambassador identified as having a meaningful role to play in the bilateral relationship.

Hajoui framed the meeting within a diplomatic history spanning more than eight centuries, while pointing to more recent developments as evidence of accelerating momentum. He cited the Strategic Dialogue held on June 1 last year in Rabat as a turning point that elevated the relationship to a formal strategic partnership, opening new avenues for collaboration across energy, industry, infrastructure, technology, innovation, tourism, and agriculture. Morocco's geographic position as a gateway to African markets, he argued, makes it a natural partner for British businesses seeking access to emerging economies on the continent.

The ambassador highlighted several specific sectors where investment opportunities are expanding: financial services, digitalization, green hydrogen, clean energy, and agriculture. He also drew attention to the economic activity expected around the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal. Infrastructure, urban planning, transport development, and stadium construction linked to the tournament are already generating discussions with British firms, and UK financial institutions have expressed growing interest in funding large-scale projects connected to the event.

The Manchester meeting came days after a series of high-level diplomatic exchanges in London. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita met on April 23, at which point the UK reaffirmed its backing for Morocco's autonomy plan for the Sahara as the most credible and pragmatic basis for a resolution. Following his own meeting with Bourita on the same date, UK Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy described bilateral relations as entering a new era, citing growing cooperation in defense, energy, maritime security, food security, water management, and health.

The breadth of the relationship was further illustrated by the recent travels of UK Ambassador to Morocco Alex Pinfield, who visited Marrakech, Casablanca, Tahnier, and Agadir. During his stop in Agadir, Pinfield described Morocco as a valuable and stable partner in a world marked by instability, emphasizing that the loyalty and reliability running in both directions between the two countries represents genuine strategic worth. His remarks reinforced a consistent message from British officials: Morocco's political stability and sustained reform trajectory make it a credible long-term partner for investment and cooperation alike.