Moulay Lakbir Alaoui Ismaili

What have been the main successes of Lamalif Group in its two decades of operations?

Lamalif Group is the story of a young Moroccan company specializing in the export of artisanal products and metal constructions that has grown through passion, hard work, creativity, and innovation to become a leading group in public lighting, urban planning, real estate, and design. It is the story of an unpublished project. Long before it became an industrial success, Lamalif Group was a human project with more than 20 years of experience. Lamalif Group is a national leader that has contributed to the accomplishment of large-scale structural projects for the transformation of cities and regions, such as in Rabat, the “City of Lights;” Tanger-Métropole; Al Hoceima Manarat Al Moutaoussit; Tétouan and its province; and Le grand Agadir. To its credit, the group has installed over 50,000 light points and maintains as many as 90,000 throughout Morocco. Today, with a workforce of around 200 employees, Lamalif Group operates in four main areas: public lighting, urban planning, and energy efficiency. The group’s mission is to offer creative and aesthetically pleasing cities and territories to citizens, with a 100% Moroccan signature. In its over 20 years of business, the group has always kept in step with the demands of modern Morocco, contributing to the shaping of cities and territories, the well-being of citizens, and improvements to the quality of life. These are considerable achievements brought about thanks to the stability of the group’s shareholder and financial structure, a business culture focused on research and development, diversification, and investments in innovation.

What challenges did Lamalif Group face during the pandemic, and how did it demonstrate resilience?

The pandemic accelerated awareness of national sovereignty, particularly in health, the economy, and industry. Morocco has distinguished itself by its strong resilience while providing the necessary means of response and recovery. Like other group manufacturers, Lamalif Group has suffered the effects of the pandemic while demonstrating resilience. Lamalif Group maintains its development and investment plan and did not have to let go off staff; in fact, we are still recruiting.

Sustainability is a key issue for urbanism. How does Lamalif Group integrate the key issue of sustainability into its strategy and action plan?
The group has incorporated sustainability in its strategy of the “City of Tomorrow.” A connected and smart city is no longer a choice, but a necessity. Naturally, this is a key issue for the promotion of Made in Morocco solutions. In this regard, our group is developing 100% Moroccan energy-saving solutions that can reduce the energy bill of cities and territories by up to 60%. Lamalif Group, due to its leadership position, has extensive expertise in maintenance. It is also the first Moroccan group to provide this service for a city of over 1 million inhabitants, in this case Tangier, which it has managed for the last seven years.

How is your commitment to “Made in Morocco” taking shape?

“Made in Morocco” is part of the DNA of Lamalif Group, which has always been committed to affirming a 100% Moroccan signature in its activities, subsidiaries, and projects. In this regard, the group relies heavily on R&D and innovation for the development of the “Made in Morocco” label. In this field, the group is stepping up initiatives with key players in the ecosystem. Universities have our full attention, since they are a hotbed of innovation. For example, partnership agreements have been signed with Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech and the International University of Rabat. The conditions are there to establish a new model of collaboration between companies with a strong knowledge of the market and students that will give rise to a new generation of entrepreneurs capable of upholding the “Made in Morocco” brand higher and stronger. As part of this strategy of proactive openness to our ecosystem, the group has launched the Madinaty Smart City competition, whose winners will be announced in November 2021. The main objective of this unique competition, open to students and award winners from universities and business schools, is to promote the “Made in Morocco” innovation by giving young creators, developers, and inventors the opportunity to present new concepts and innovative solutions.