Morocco’s King calls for Marrakech-Agadir rail link; Agadir-Dakhla highway

King Mohammed VI of Morocco called for establishing a rail link between Marrakech and Agadir as part of a regionalization plan that aims at achieving and equitable distribution of wealth between all regions.

“I invite the authorities concerned to give serious thought to the development of a rail link between Marrakech and Agadir, as a first step before extending it to the rest of the southern regions,” said the King in a speech marking the 44th anniversary of the Green March.

The railway line will contribute to opening up the regions concerned, in addition to stimulating development and economic prosperity, especially with regard to the transport of people and goods and the promotion of exports, tourism and other economic activities, said the Monarch.

He equally stressed the need to link Agadir with the southern city of Dakhla through a highway.

“The Souss-Massa region must become an economic hub linking Morocco’s north to its south – from Tangier, in the north, to Oujda, in the east, to our southern provinces, in the south,” he said.

Morocco has launched a gradual regionalization process according to which regions shall have substantive powers. The King emphasized in his speech that Morocco should comprise harmonious, integrated regions that benefit, on an equal footing, from infrastructure and major projects that should be profitable to all.

“Regional development should be based on cooperation and complementarity between regions. Each region should have a major economic hub developed around its potential and specificities,” he said.