Mohammed VI Lets the Numbers Speak
Success often breeds further success. Morocco has offered a striking example of this ever since Mohammed VI ascended the throne twenty-seven years ago. The foremost of these achievements has been the consolidation of Morocco’s claim to the Sahara, followed by a series of major projects that have now become reality. These include the transformation of the Port of Dakhla into one of Africa’s leading Atlantic gateways, the African gas pipeline linking Nigeria to Morocco, and the more than one-thousand-kilometre highway connecting Tiznit to Dakhla, which now bears Donald Trump’s name.
The Moroccan monarch scarcely needed to dwell on these accomplishments in his annual Throne Day address, particularly after the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797 on 31 October 2025. The resolution marked a turning point by explicitly acknowledging Morocco’s claim to the Sahara and reaffirming that the only realistic solution remains the one Rabat has advocated since 2007: broad autonomy for the Saharan provinces within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.
Instead, Mohammed VI chose to let the numbers speak for themselves. Yet he also reminded all those willing to listen that Morocco’s progress rests on solid foundations because, in his words, the Kingdom is “an ancient nation-State.”
As he put it:
“Morocco is an ancient State that draws its strength from deeply rooted traditions as a nation-State. Its institutions fulfil their role within a framework of harmony and complementarity. This is what gives the State the effectiveness required to sustain its achievements and meet challenges despite difficulties and constraints. Morocco has demonstrated this through its exemplary organisation of continental and international events, earning admiration and respect around the world while, at times, arousing the envy of others.”
It is only natural that Morocco should arouse “the envy of others.” The progress achieved has turned the Kingdom into a pillar of stability in a region that urgently needs a different climate to foster development and integration, far removed from empty slogans, hollow promises, illusions, and the exploitation of peoples and their future.
On the twenty-seventh anniversary of his accession to the throne, Mohammed VI had every reason to look to the future with confidence. His address focused on Morocco’s promising future, one that is no longer founded on aspirations alone but on tangible achievements firmly anchored in reality. These accomplishments, he stressed, are the product of “security, stability, and effective institutions.” They are reflected in “the growing number of positive indicators across all sectors, reinforcing the country’s economic momentum and strengthening national sovereignty.”
Returning to the language of numbers, in other words to verifiable facts, the Moroccan monarch noted that “economic growth reached approximately 4.9 percent in 2025 and is expected to remain at that level, or even exceed it, in 2026.”
He also pointed out that, “in the agricultural sector, Morocco benefited from abundant rainfall and an excellent harvest, helping strengthen both water and food security.” At the same time, the Kingdom further consolidated its position as a hub for industrial, tourism, and financial investment, as reflected in the steady improvement of its economic indicators, particularly in industry.
Today, the automotive, aerospace, renewable energy, and agri-food industries form the backbone of Morocco’s productive economy. They play a decisive role both in attracting foreign investment and in creating wealth and employment.
Morocco has now become Africa’s leading automobile exporter, with an annual production capacity approaching one million vehicles. Exports from the automotive and aerospace sectors now account for more than 40 percent of the Kingdom’s total exports, surpassing even phosphate exports.
As part of this same strategic vision, Mohammed VI recalled presiding earlier this year over the inauguration of new industrial facilities that have enabled Morocco to join the select group of countries hosting major manufacturing centres for aircraft engines and landing gear systems.
The development of an integrated electric battery industry likewise reflects the Kingdom’s ability to anticipate technological change and integrate itself into the global production chains of strategic industries.
Guided by the same spirit of innovation and modernisation, Morocco is pressing ahead with major projects designed to make renewable energy a cornerstone of its energy security and a powerful magnet for industries seeking competitive, low-carbon energy. As part of this ambitious strategy, the Kingdom has begun implementing its green hydrogen programme by approving a first wave of major projects.
All this represents only a fraction of what Morocco has achieved, in a country that now welcomes twenty million tourists every year.
This year’s Throne Day address by Mohammed VI was a message directed at everyone, both those willing to understand and those determined not to. Its central message is clear: Morocco has a vision and places its confidence in its people. It is betting on the ability of Moroccans to carry the country forward and establish it among the nations capable of playing a constructive role at both the regional and international levels, far removed from ideological confrontation, illusions, and sterile political grandstanding that offers no political, economic, or civilisational horizon.
At its core, the message is a simple one: Morocco has fully recognised that the world has changed. It has changed even more profoundly than many imagined less than five years ago, first with the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, then with the wave of violence unleashed by the attacks of 7 October 2023 and the war that engulfed the Middle East.
The world has changed, and Morocco is determined to secure its place among the countries reshaping global supply chains, diversifying production, and connecting their national capabilities to the global economy. To achieve this, the Kingdom is relying on its infrastructure, its natural resources, the quality of its diplomacy and political leadership, and the preservation of a stability that has become one of its greatest assets, not only nationally but across the wider region.