Our Areas of Intervention
In its goal to consolidate economic integration among the countries of the Arab Maghreb, the BMICE has targeted strategic sectors that promote regional integration to enhance economic complementarity among the five partner countries of the Union of the Arab Maghreb (UMA), especially in the post-COVID-19 crisis period. The BMICE's sectoral mapping thus encompasses the following main sectoral choices:
Strategic Sectors
High-interest strategic sectors have been selected as priority areas for BMICE funding for three main reasons. First, these are historically significant sectors for intra-Maghreb trade. Second, the most important aspect is that these sectors constitute strategic consolidation segments among Maghreb countries. Finally, the BMICE, as a regional development institution in the Maghreb dedicated to economic integration, must play an important role in these areas. In this context, three highly strategic sectoral focus areas have been identified:
Health Security Axis
The health of Maghreb populations is also a strategic factor that requires close cooperation among Maghreb countries. The experience of the COVID-19 pandemic is the most telling example of the risks that can threaten populations in the region. In this context, the sectors prioritized by the BMICE include pharmaceuticals and parapharmaceuticals, research and development, health-related services, and the manufacture and maintenance of medical instruments.
Energy Security Axis
The importance and role of the energy sector in the socio-economic development process are well established. Moreover, this sector has been the subject of traditional exchanges and cooperation among Maghreb countries, with Algeria and Libya as the main producers (potentially Mauritania with new natural gas discoveries) and Morocco and Tunisia as the main consumers. In the energy sector, two segments can be distinguished:
- The upstream oil segment, which includes raw products (crude oil and natural gas), transportation (pipeline), and storage (back and others).
- The downstream segment, which encompasses all sub-sectors and derived branches (fuels, synthetic oils, etc.), electricity, electricity transport products (cables, poles, etc.), and connection and branching products (transformers, electric meters, gas meters, etc.).
Food Security Axis
With a population of around 100 million inhabitants, the Maghreb market can be considered relatively significant. Furthermore, food security lies in achieving food independence through a strategy of complementarity and meeting needs. The sectors involved in this strategy include fresh agricultural products (plant or animal), agri-food products (non-alcoholic beverages, canned or frozen agricultural products, milk, powdered milk, and dairy products, livestock and livestock products), as well as everything involved in the agricultural and agri-food production process, such as fertilizers and packaging for agri-food products.
Emerging Sectors
The experience of the recent health crisis has brought to light the following promising sectors, which the BMICE is also paying particular attention to for their expected positive impacts on regional integration:
- Information technology and the development of innovative solutions
- Digital communication (Web Master, digital marketing, and others)
In addition, sectors involved in environmental preservation and the development of a green economy, such as the production of industrial filters, water filtration and recycling products, and those contributing to the production process and development of regional value chains in the Maghreb, such as the industry of mechanical and electrical components and the fishing industry, are also highlighted. The logistics aspect, particularly the goods transport sector, also receives special attention as it is an important link in the Maghreb integration process.