Export performance in the context of the health crisis: case of Morocco

Abstract

The coronavirus attacked the world in a difficult atmosphere, plunging it into a time of unprecedented uncertainty. COVID-19 slowed down global activity, causing severe human, financial, economic, and political consequences, with global growth experiencing a decline of 3.6%. The Moroccan government swiftly mobilized various members of the government to address the rapid spread of the COVID-19 crisis. Despite its various actions, export performance was one of the indicators that recorded significant declines, attributed to the decrease in both the value and volume of exports throughout the COVID and post-COVID period. The objective of this article is to explain the impact of the repercussions of the health crisis on Morocco's export performance. To do so, a brief theoretical overview of export performance indicators was provided. Then we first attempted to present the impact of COVID-19 on the overall Moroccan economy and Moroccan exports. Afterward, we analyzed the crisis's impact on the country's most successful export sectors through a sample of four sectors, using a descriptive analysis. The various sectors in our study experienced a very noticeable decline throughout 2020 and began to show a slight recovery from 2021 onwards.