Archive photo ‹ › In Morocco, the cultural and creative industries (CCI) contribute significantly to the economy, accounting for 2.4% of the GDP and generating a revenue of 43 billion dirhams. This vibrant sector employs 116,000 people, with nearly 78,000 in formal employment, making up about 1% of the active workforce. Interestingly, it surpasses sectors such as healthcare (0.8%) and financial services (0.7%), yet it only receives 0.5% of business credit. In a report released on April 8, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) describes Morocco's CCI as an «essential and increasingly strategic component of the national economy». Breaking it down by sub-sector, heritage, cultural tourism, architecture, and gastronomy contribute 0.7% to the CCI's GDP share. Creative arts and crafts, along with events, festivals, and performing arts, each add 0.4%, outpacing advertising and marketing (0.3%), audiovisual, cinema, and multimedia (0.3%), the music industry (0.2%), publishing, press, and editing (0.1%), and fashion and design (0.0%). In collaboration with the Moroccan Observatory of SMEs, the High Commission for Planning (HCP), Tamwilcom, and the Federation of Cultural and Creative Industries (FICC), the report highlights that the CCI's contribution to the national GDP is «comparable to capital-intensive sectors, such as extractive industries and transport, and higher than that of public service production and distribution». The economic impact of the CCI was particularly evident in 2023, marking it as a «dynamic and fast-growing sector». The impressive 43 billion dirhams in revenue for that year signifies a «notable growth of 18% compared to 2022». According to the IFC, the sector generates approximately 3.7 jobs for every million dirhams of added value, even outpacing the manufacturing sector, which creates 3.2 jobs. The IFC underscores the need to structure and formalize Morocco's CCI, often dominated by very small and micro-enterprises. The organization pointed out several initiatives by the kingdom, emphasizing that the sector remains «a crucial driver of economic and social development» in the country. The report also highlights that favorable developments, such as record tourist arrivals and the hosting of the 2030 World Cup, «further energize» a sector that intersects with various other activities.
