The French Development Agency (AFD), France public financial institution, has pledged to invest €100 million in Morocco’s Sahara ports under an agreement signed with the Moroccan National Ports Agency (ANP).
The agreement was inked by ANP’s Director General Mustapha Farès and the AFD Director in Morocco Catherine Bonnaud in presence of Minister of Equipment & Water Nizar Baraka and French Ambassador to Morocco, Philippe Lalliot.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Nizar Baraka said the French agency funding supports the transformations taking place in Morocco’s port sector which is transitioning to low-carbon.
He also cited the ongoing projects in the southern provinces, particularly in Tan-Tan, Tarfaya, Laayoune, Boujdour, Dakhla, and Lamhiriz, saying the French investments will enhance port infrastructure, improve their connectivity, support their integration into national and Atlantic economic exchanges and trade.
Morocco is working to transform the African Atlantic coastline into a hub for connectivity, economic integration, and driver of South-South cooperation.
French Ambassador Philippe Lalliot stressed the importance of ports in Morocco’s economy, while addressing the challenges of climate change and taking into account the environmental and social concerns in port projects.
Morocco’s National Port Strategy aims to transform the Kingdom into a major global and regional logistics, industrial, and energy hub. By investing in ports, connectivity, trade infrastructure and regional integration, the Kingdom is seeking to create new opportunities for African economies and strengthen its position as a strategic trade partner.
This approach goes beyond trade. Greater economic opportunity, stronger regional integration and enhanced access to international markets can help reduce some of the structural development gaps between North and South.
