According to the Greenplexity Index published by the think tank The Growth Lab at Harvard University, Morocco and Tunisia stand out as the most competitive African countries in green value chains. While Morocco boasts significant energy and industrial potential, its Tunisian neighbor leads due to more consistent governance and more effective implementation of energy transition reforms, notes the magazine Challenge.
The index assesses the capacity of 145 countries to engage in sectors related to the global energy transition by analyzing the diversity and sophistication of exports linked to green technologies, critical minerals, and inputs for decarbonization. On a global scale, Morocco ranks 58th, just behind Tunisia, and holds the 2nd place in Africa, ahead of countries like Egypt, Mauritius, South Africa, and Burkina Faso. Internationally, Japan, Germany, the Czech Republic, France, and China rank at the top.
For Ricardo Hausmann, director of the Growth Lab, this ranking reflects countries’ ability to grow in a decarbonizing world by mastering not only clean energy production but also all economic activities supporting the transition: technology design, equipment manufacturing, strategic mineral processing, and innovation in materials and processes.
The contrast with Tunisia is surprising, as Morocco generates nearly 24% of its electricity from renewable sources, compared to 3% for Tunisia. Moroccan expert Saïd Guemara explains this paradox: “The Greenplexity Index does not measure the amount of green energy produced but rather a country’s ability to achieve its energy transition. In this respect, Tunisia excels due to the clarity of its regulatory framework and the consistency of its governance.”
Tunisia benefits from an operational legal arsenal: implemented self-production laws, published decrees, transparent tenders, and set feed-in tariffs. Its national energy efficiency program has yielded concrete results for over a decade, and a smart electrical grid is gradually being deployed with five million connected meters.
Morocco, despite significant solar and wind potential, suffers from fragmented governance and administrative complexity that hinder the application of reforms. Legislative texts often lack implementing decrees, and competencies overlap among organizations such as ONEE, MASEN, ANRE, and regional distributors, limiting clarity and the emergence of an integrated green industrial ecosystem.
This analysis is corroborated by the World Economic Forum in its Energy Transition Index 2025: Tunisia ranks 64th, while Morocco sits at 70th, highlighting institutional coherence, regulatory clarity, and the effectiveness of public policies, beyond mere energy production indicators.