Investment opportunities in Morocco’s Southern provinces and the achievements made there were highlighted on Wednesday in Paris during a meeting attended by a group of French economic operators and several members of the Moroccan community living in France.
Initiated by the “Maroc Entrepreneurs” Association, in partnership with the French Federation “InfraNum,” the meeting enabled managing directors of the Regional Investment Centers (CRI) of the three Southern regions of the Kingdom – Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra, Guelmim-Oued Noun, and Dakhla-Oued Eddahab – to highlight the enormous investment potential offered to Moroccans expatriates, as well as the remarkable development momentum these territories are experiencing.
In a statement to MAP, Zineb Hatim, president of “Maroc entrepreneurs,” said that this initiative is fully in line with the willingness to strengthen and accelerate investment in Southern provinces, strategic territories at the heart of the Kingdom’s economic influence.
The Director General of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab Regional Investment Center, Ahmed Khathir, emphasized the “essential” role of Moroccans around the world in the development of Southern provinces, adding that this meeting represents a real opportunity to get involved, take action, and take advantage of the “strong potential” offered by these territories.
After highlighting the support mechanisms available to investors (one-stop shop, investment charter, tax incentives, support services, etc.), the Director General of the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra CRI, Mohamed Jifer, pointed out that Southern provinces have many assets, such as port infrastructure, connectivity, and renewable energy, noting that all the elements are in place to develop high value-added and innovative projects, particularly in marine biotechnology, modern agriculture, and the fishing manufacturing industry.
For Mohamed Assouss, Director General of the Guelmim-Oued Noun CRI, the key is to focus efforts on projects likely to strengthen the private sector, by leveraging the diverse assets of Southern provinces of the Kingdom, whether economic, natural, cultural, historical, or tourist-related.
Stephan Lelux, Vice President of InfraNum, the French Federation of Telecommunications Infrastructure Professionals, highlighted the opportunities offered by major digital infrastructure projects in Morocco’s Southern provinces, which can support development in various areas, citing logistics around the port of Dakhla and agricultural innovation through the use of technology and sensor networks. He noted that all of Morocco’s ambitions for these three regions, “which are pillars of development and economic growth for the upcoming years,” are of particular interest to the Federation.
Ludovic Provost, Director of Public Affairs for the French group Sogetrel, host of the meeting, said that his group, already established in Casablanca, is closely following investment projects in Southern provinces, highlighting the “scale” and “enormous potential” of these initiatives, particularly the ambitious development projects in Dakhla.
The meeting coincides with the visit to Paris of a large delegation from the three regions of Morocco’s Southern Provinces- Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra, Guelmim-Oued Noun, and Dakhla-Oued Eddahab. The delegation met on Tuesday evening with members of the Bureau of the France-Morocco Friendship Group at the French Senate.
In a welcoming address, Senator Olivier Bitz, Vice-President of the France-Morocco Friendship Group, highlighted the French Senate’s commitment to maintaining “a close relationship with Morocco” and its longstanding support for the Kingdom’s sovereignty over its Sahara.
One month ago, the Senate hosted a major event organized jointly with the Moroccan Embassy in Paris to mark the 50th anniversary of the Green March, “an exceptional moment celebrating French-Moroccan friendship within the walls of the Palais du Luxembourg,” recalled Bitz, referring to the tribute paid to the Kingdom following the historic UN Security Council resolution on the Moroccan Sahara.
He also recalled the visit by the President of the Senate, Gérard Larcher, to Laayoune last February, expressing to the Moroccan delegation the institution’s readiness “to work together to strengthen our relations (…) particularly in the framework of decentralized cooperation.”
In his address, Bitz highlighted the exceptional work accomplished by King Mohammed VI to develop the Southern Provinces, noting that “investments there are considerable, spanning a wide range of sectors: economic development, renewable energies, higher education, and health.”
“These represent many opportunities for us to identify concrete projects on which we can work together,” he said.
The Moroccan delegation also held discussions with the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, and met this Wednesday at the National Assembly with the President of the France-Morocco Friendship Group, Hélène Laporte.
