Morocco is committed to both foreign and national investment as the cornerstone of its economic development.

The FDI Confidence Index 2023 has included Morocco among the most attractive emerging markets for foreign direct investment (FDI), as the report places the North African country in 16th place out of the 25 markets included in the emerging market classification .

This is the first time the Index includes an exclusive list of emerging markets, suggesting that one of the main objectives of this year's report is to provide entrepreneurs and leaders "with insight into which emerging markets are most attractive to investors." investors now and in the next three years.

China tops the list, closely followed by India, UAE, Qatar, Thailand and Saudi Arabia.

Joining these Asian heavyweights is Brazil, followed by Mexico, Argentina, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Egypt.

Türkiye is placed before Morocco. South Africa is ranked 17th on the list, followed by Colombia, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Bangladesh, Russia, Pakistan, Cuba and Ghana.

The report ranked emerging markets using the World Bank's country classification system, and the index further explains that other factors often influence investors' choice of markets for their foreign direct investments.

Key factors include the transparency of government regulations, technological capabilities and the ease of paying taxes, according to the report.

The evaluation of the Index comes as Morocco continues to multiply efforts to improve the country's economic attractiveness for foreign direct investment.

Read also: Foreign direct investments in Morocco increase by almost 20%.

Last year, King Mohammed VI highlighted the importance of investment as a cornerstone of the country's economic development.

"Today, we count on productive investment as a lever to boost our economy and ensure that our country engages in promising sectors that offer employment opportunities for young people, as well as the financing of various social and development programs," said the King in a speech in October 2022.

The monarch also stressed the importance of the new investment charter to improve Morocco's attractiveness for domestic and foreign investors.

According to the latest data from the Moroccan Foreign Exchange Office, the flow of FDI to Morocco increased by 19.8% during the first two months of this year. Specifically, the flow of FDI into the North African country reached MAD 5 billion ($493 million) at the end of February, compared to MAD 4 billion ($394 million) a year earlier.

Source: MoroccoWorldNews