Active in the Maghreb since the 1970s, McKinsey was the first international consultancy to open a permanent office in Casablanca, in 2004. The ambition of the firm is to support large companies and public institutions in French-speaking Africa, as well as to develop talents destined to become future leaders of the African continent. McKinsey today has a well-established presence on the African continent, with nearly 500 employees spread over seven offices: Casablanca, Johannesburg, Lagos, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Luanda and Cairo.