Morocco poised to become a key player in the global electric battery market, says Rachid Yazami
via Le Matin7 min read
Rachid Yazami, a world-renowned Moroccan electrochemist and inventor of the graphite anode for lithium-ion batteries, believes Morocco has significant advantages to become a major player in the global electric battery industry. Speaking from Singapore, Yazami highlighted Morocco's phosphate reserves, strategic geographical location, free trade agreements, established automotive industry, and skilled workforce as key assets. He emphasized that the global energy transition is a strategic necessity, driven by rising fossil fuel costs and geopolitical tensions, making countries capable of producing and storing energy better equipped for future shocks. Yazami sees the rise of LFP lithium, iron, phosphate battery technology as a major opportunity for Morocco, provided the country moves beyond raw material export to industrial transformation. He cited the upcoming gigafactory in Kenitra, a joint venture with Gotion High-Tech, as a historic turning point, fulfilling his 2014 prediction for a Moroccan lithium-ion battery plant. This factory, the first of its kind in Africa and the Middle East, could establish a new industrial sector for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. Yazami stressed the critical importance of quality in battery production to compete with global leaders like China, Korea, and Japan. He expressed confidence in Moroccan engineers and technicians, foreseeing the development of fully Moroccan-owned gigafactories by 2032. Geopolitically, Morocco's strategic
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The unemployment gap between men and women in Morocco has increased to 9.7 percentage points since the pandemic, with the women's unemployment rate reaching 20.5% in 2025, compared to 10.8% for men, according to Bank Al-Maghrib's 2025 annual report. This gap was 5.7 points in 2019. Additionally, women earn less, with a nearly 23% wage gap in urban areas in 2019, according to the High Commission for Planning HCP. Morocco ranks in the bottom decile globally for gender equality, despite constitutional provisions. The activity rate for women decreased from 21.5% to 19% between 2019 and 2025, while for men it fell from 71% to 68.5%, maintaining a 49.5-point gap. Rural areas have seen a significant increase in disparities, largely due to successive years of drought impacting agricultural activity, which employs 86.4% of active rural women. Social norms also contribute to these inequalities; a 2017-2020 global values survey found that 64% of men and 48.3% of women in Morocco believe men should be prioritized for jobs when opportunities are scarce. Furthermore, 69% of men and 54% of women consider being a housewife as rewarding as paid employment. Practical difficulties such as insufficient work flexibility and inaccessible childcare services also hinder women's participation in the labor market. This issue extends beyond Morocco, with a World Bank study indicating that removing barriers to women's employment in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan MENAAP region c
Must ReadMr. Bourita represented His Majesty the King at the African Union's extraordinary summit focused on eliminating AIDS by 2030. During the event, Mr. Bourita highlighted the Royal Vision for African health sovereignty, emphasizing solidarity, social justice, and knowledge sharing. He noted that Morocco, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, has made health a strategic pillar of its continental cooperation, aligning with the summit's key themes: local manufacturing of medical products, innovative financing, and political governance. The summit addressed the elimination of AIDS by 2030, the fight against preventable maternal deaths, endemic communicable and non-communicable diseases, and the strengthening of health systems. This summit followed the 38th ordinary session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government's decision on evolving health priorities in Africa. The summit reviewed an AU roadmap for 2030 and beyond, aiming to sustain the HIV/AIDS response, enhance health system resilience, and improve health security across the continent. The Moroccan delegation, led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Residing Abroad, included representatives from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
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