India, Morocco Ink Defence Pact; Launch Africa Plant

• India and Morocco signed a defence MoU to boost training, exercises, and industry ties
• Tata’s new plant in Morocco will assemble WhAP 8×8, India’s first defence venture in Africa
• The partnership advances India’s global defence strategy and Morocco’s industrial growth

India and Morocco have made a significant advance in defence relations by signing a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and launching India's first defence manufacturing facility in Africa. India Morocco defence pact strengthens military ties and expands India Africa defence cooperation.

During a three-day trip to Rabat, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh signed the MoU with his Moroccan counterpart, Abdeltif Loudiyi. This agreement will structure cooperation in training, joint exercises, maritime and cyber security, and defence industrial collaboration. Tata Advanced Systems Maroc inaugurates the Indian defence facility in Morocco to assemble WhAP armoured vehicles under the defence MoU India Morocco.

The defence ministry on X stated, "The two countries decided to intensify defence industry collaboration and agreed on a comprehensive roadmap to deepen collaboration in Counter-terrorism efforts, maritime security, cyber defence, military training and peacekeeping operations and military medicine".

Singh also announced the establishment of a Defence Wing at the Indian Embassy in Rabat that will provide a permanent channel between the armed forces of both countries to promote training exchanges, technology sharing, and linkages with defence industries.

On visit highlight was the opening of the Tata Advanced Systems Maroc plant located in Berrechid, not far from Casablanca. The 20,000 square-meter facility is going to assemble the Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP) 8×8, which was developed through a joint effort between Tata Motors and DRDO in India.

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This will be India’s first defence production in Africa, and the first time defence manufacturing on a large scale will have occurred in Morocco. The plant will not only serve as a facility to assemble the WhAP for sale in the Moroccan market but will also serve as a location to export the product to other African markets while allowing India to support domestic production as part of their “Make in India for the World” plan. Similarly, the plant will be able to assemble and export other defence-related products in Morocco in the future.

The co-production model - with subsystems produced in India and integration done in Morocco - will be anticipated to generate jobs, promote local vendors, and help to improve local tech-savvy skills.

Amid rising global competition, India's expanding defence engagement in Africa comes as China has been primarily focused on arms sales and bases. In response, New Delhi has stressed the importance of joint development, capacity-building, and fair partnerships.

Morocco's unique location at the intersection of Europe, Africa, and the Atlantic will remain as an important partner in India's reach-out. Singh's visit identifies defence industrialisation as an important aspect of South–South cooperation, with an expectation of future joint ventures ahead of the next India–Africa Forum Summit.