Casablanca is the fourth best city on the African continent to live, work, study and invest in, according to the latest Cities 2023 Index published by Brand Finance.
The city, often regarded as Morocco’s economic capital, scored 59.3 out of 100. As the Brand Finance study notes, the city “scores well in terms of consideration for working locally and remotely, investing, studying and visiting, as well as in the attributes affordable city (27th) and low bureaucracy (57th)”.
Among the positive factors that the authors of the study have valued are the city’s thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem and its privileged geographical location in a strategic location, which has made it a very attractive destination for international investors and companies, as a gateway to the African continent.
The city also has a rich cultural heritage and modern urban development, which have also contributed to raising its rating.
The Brand Finance report, conducted last April through more than 15,000 interviews with citizens in 20 countries, produced a list of 100 cities around the world.
The top five cities on the list are London, New York, Paris, Los Angeles and Sydney. As for cities on the African continent, the first to appear on the list is Cape Town, ranked 60th with 62.9 points out of 100. This is thanks to being South Africa’s most visited city and its mix of natural beauty, cultural diversity and economic vitality.
Cairo ranks 67th overall and second in Africa with 60.7 points, thanks to its historical heritage and vibrant city life.
Johannesburg is 72nd overall and third in Africa, with a score of 59.7, as it is considered “the economic engine of South Africa and an important financial and business centre in Africa”.
Casablanca is 76th in the list of 100, while Lagos, Nigeria, ranks fifth among African cities with 57.4 points, followed by Nairobi, Kenya, with 56.8.
Seventh in the Middle East for startups
Casablanca often appears in international rankings as one of the top Moroccan cities for doing business. The Belgian consultancy Sortlist published in late 2022 the guide ‘Best places in the UK and MENA to start a small business’, in which it ranked Casablanca as the seventh best city to open new startups, in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
According to Sortlist’s guide, Casablanca has an average broadband speed of 27.2 Mbps, a happiness score of 4.92 out of 10 and a literacy rate of 72%.
The Moroccan city received an overall score of 4.58 out of 10 for SME start-ups.
Source : Atalayar
