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Weak Auto Industry Worldwide Causes Drop in Morocco’s Car Exports

People wait with their cars to get on a ferry to Morocco at the southern Spanish port of Algeciras (File photo: Reuters)
People wait with their cars to get on a ferry to Morocco at the southern Spanish port of Algeciras (File photo: Reuters)
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Weak Auto Industry Worldwide Causes Drop in Morocco’s Car Exports

People wait with their cars to get on a ferry to Morocco at the southern Spanish port of Algeciras (File photo: Reuters)
People wait with their cars to get on a ferry to Morocco at the southern Spanish port of Algeciras (File photo: Reuters)

Morocco's car exports fell 6.2 percent in the first five months of 2019 in response to a downturn in the global automotive industry.

This is the first time that Morocco’s auto industry hits reverse after witnessing a growth in the past few years and becoming the country’s top export sector.

Despite the decline, the auto industry remained at the forefront of Morocco's exports with $1.6 billion, representing about 12 percent of the total value of Morocco's exports during the first five months of this year.

Wires and electrical cables industry ranked second in Morocco's value-added exports, with a value of $1.5 billion, up 7.2 percent and accounting for 11.5 percent of the country's total exports. This industry developed greatly in connection with the needs of the automotive industry, including the manufacture of components that enter into cars assembly.

Agricultural fertilizer exports came third with $1.2 billion and a 1.5 percent growth, followed by clothing exports of $1.1 billion.

Phosphoric acid ranked fourth in Morocco's exports over the same period by $685 million, a strong growth of 35.5 percent in association with the country’s increase of phosphoric acid exports to Africa under the new industrial partnerships of the OCP Group (Office Chérifien des Phosphates).

Morocco's exports during the first five months of the year amounted to $13.2 billion, and saw an increase of 3.44 percent compared to the same period last year.

These exports accounted for 29.2 percent of finished products, 22.6 percent of food and beverages, 20.4 percent of semi-finished products, 19.7 percent of finished industrial equipment, 4.7 percent of ores, and 2 percent of plant and animal raw materials. 

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Saudi Arabia Makes History with Adoption of Riyadh Treaty on Design Law

Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Makes History with Adoption of Riyadh Treaty on Design Law

Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia has made history by uniting the 193 member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to adopt the Riyadh Treaty on Design Law. This landmark achievement, realized after two decades of deliberation, underscores the Kingdom’s leadership in enhancing the global intellectual property system.

The announcement came at the conclusion of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty, a rare event for WIPO, which has not held a diplomatic conference outside Geneva for more than a decade. It was also the first such event hosted in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, representing the final stage of negotiations to establish an agreement aimed at simplifying and standardizing design protection procedures across member states.

Over the past two weeks, intensive discussions and negotiations among member states culminated in the adoption of the Riyadh Treaty, which commits signatory nations to a unified set of requirements for registering designs, ensuring consistent and streamlined procedures worldwide. The agreement is expected to have a significant positive impact on designers, enabling them to protect their creations more effectively and uniformly across international markets.

At a press conference held on Friday to mark the event’s conclusion, CEO of the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property Abdulaziz Al-Suwailem highlighted the economic potential of the new protocol.

Responding to a question from Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Suwailem noted the substantial contributions of young Saudi men and women in creative design. He explained that the agreement will enable their designs to be formally protected, allowing them to enter markets as valuable, tradable assets.

He also emphasized the symbolic importance of naming the convention the Riyadh Treaty, stating that it reflects Saudi Arabia’s growing influence as a bridge between cultures and a global center for innovative initiatives.

The treaty lays critical legal foundations to support designers and drive innovation worldwide, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s vision of promoting international collaboration in the creative industries and underscoring its leadership in building a sustainable future for innovators.

The agreement also advances global efforts to enhance creativity, protect intellectual property, and stimulate innovation on a broader scale.

This achievement further strengthens Saudi Arabia’s position as a global hub for groundbreaking initiatives, demonstrating its commitment to nurturing creativity, safeguarding designers’ rights, and driving the development of creative industries on an international scale.

The Riyadh Diplomatic Conference, held from November 11 to 22, was hosted by the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property and attracted high-ranking officials and decision-makers from WIPO member states.