US Ambassador to Morocco Duke Buchan III said the Moroccan southern provinces, the Sahara, offer tremendous economic potential, positioning the region as a strategic hub linking Africa, Europe and the Americas and a focal point for growing US investment interest.
Speaking at Gitex Africa in Marrakech, Buchan reaffirmed US support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for the territory, describing it as a pathway “toward resolution and prosperity,” while highlighting major infrastructure projects underway or planned in the region.
“The economic potential of the Moroccan Sahara is unlimited,” Buchan said, citing plans for what he described as the largest and deepest deep-water port ever built in Morocco at Dakhla.
The project, he said, would serve as a new gateway connecting Africa, the Americas and Europe, supported by new data centers and a trade corridor linking the Sahel to global markets.
Where the world once saw a desert, His Majesty saw an opportunity, Buchan said, adding that US companies are showing increasing interest in the area’s investment opportunities.
Buchan placed the development of the southern provinces within the context of Morocco’s broader economic transformation, which he illustrated through his own long relationship with the country.
Compared with his first visit to the Kingdom 43 ago, he said, Morocco has grown and evolved in an “impressive way.”
He contrasted earlier experiences of a more traditional environment with today’s digitally connected landscape, noting that technologies such as online navigation tools now enable seamless travel across the country.
Buchan attributed Morocco’s success to the forward-looking vision and leadership of King Mohammed VI, while emphasizing the critical role played by the private sector.
“The world is watching Morocco,” Buchan said.