Morocco is jumping into the spotlight of the global clean-tech race. The country has landed a deal for what will be Africa’s first battery gigafactory, backed by a massive $5.6 billion investment from China’s Gotion High-Tech. The facility is planned for Kenitra, northwest Morocco, and looks like it could shift not just the region’s energy and automotive landscape but its economic trajectory too. According to Business Insider Africa, construction has already started, and the first phase is expected to deliver production by the third quarter of 2026.
The factory will initially produce 20 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of battery capacity annually, with ambitions to scale up to 100 GWh over later phases. That’s enough to supply batteries for hundreds of thousands of EVs and energy storage systems. The full project is expected to create about 2,300 jobs in the early phase, growing to around 10,000 over the long term once all phases are operational.
One of the big pluses is vertical integration: the factory won’t just assemble battery packs. It will also produce cathodes and anodes – two of the trickiest and costliest parts of battery production. Much of the output is expected to be exported to Europe, taking advantage of Morocco’s geographic closeness and its trade links to the EU. Africa and the Middle East are also projected as markets as renewable energy storage grows in demand.
For Morocco, this gigafactory is more than a factory. It signals a shift from exporting raw materials toward becoming a full participant in clean energy manufacturing. The country already hosts plants for Renault and Stellantis, but this raises the bar significantly. It also helps reduce reliance on battery imports and fragile supply chains that stretch across continents.
Geopolitically, the deal strengthens China’s industrial foothold in Africa. It seems to be part of a broader strategy to pair financial investment with strategic manufacturing initiatives. Nations around the continent with access to minerals like cobalt, lithium, or copper may now see this as a model: extract, process, and manufacture locally rather than exporting raw materials alone.
There are challenges ahead – ensuring environmental safeguards, managing the large infrastructure demands, and navigating global competition. But for now, Morocco has made a bold move that positions it not just as a player in the EV and renewable energy supply chain, but potentially a linchpin in Africa’s industrial future.
