As much as North Africa needs investment and industry to build its economy, it also desperately needs energy to fuel its own development. Despite its vast clean energy potential, Morocco currently depends on imports for 90% of its energy, the lion’s share of which comes from fossil fuels. Under a scenario put together by the International Energy Agency in 2019, electricity demand in North Africa is projected to increase by almost 35% by 2030. The scale of the clean energy projects being planned in Morocco means that North Africa is primed for a fresh round of land-grabbing. Producing wind and solar energy for export to Europe could create as many as 28,000 jobs per year, according to the World Bank’s lead economist for the region, Moez Cherif.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 11, 2023 10:34 UTC