The Moroccan Minister of Industry Moulay Hafid Elalamy has called for scaling up in production, and mass support for locally produced vehicles. He highlighted the  importance of promoting local industrial manufacturing stressing the need to develop industrial vehicle structures, citing Morocco’s “great economic potential.”

Elalamy expressed satisfaction with Morocco’s expertise and highly skilled employees in the field. The official made his remarks during his presence at Spain’s Irizar industrial unit in Skhirat, near Rabat. The Spanish company is in charge of producing urban transport buses in Casablanca. Elalamy said that the rate of local integration of Irizar buses has reached 41% and that efforts are targeting 60% in the long term. “Promoting local products is a source of pride for Morocco,” he said.

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He also emphasized that such a sector creates jobs, allowing Morocco to strengthen its position in the “vital” industrial branch. Last year, Elalmay made the same remarks, hoping to see all buses operating in Morocco manufactured in Morocco by Moroccan workers. Director of Irizar Morocco Mohamed Abuchane said the meeting with the minister is part of the delivery of the second batch of buses to the benefit of the city of Casablanca. He said that “these yellow-colored buses that just left the factory meet international standards and are equipped with all the characteristics and features that ensure the comfort of passengers.”

Abuchane added that the new buses are equipped with 33 seats, wheelchair ramps, and specific places for people with special needs. The new buses are set to go operational on Monday, February 15. The fleet is composed of 700 buses, including 450 brand new ones.

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Irizar manufactured the buses using chassis by Swedish company Scania. The upgrade of Casablanca’s bus fleet comes after the city’s inhabitants expressed dissatisfaction with the services provided by M’dina Bus, the company that managed buses in Casablanca from 2004 to 2019.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry