Speaking during a panel on "Casablanca's logistics challenge," held on the sidelines of the 12th International Transport and Logistics Exhibition for Africa and the Mediterranean (Logismed), Mr. El Machrafi indicated that for two years, the AMDL has prioritized Casablanca by launching the Zenata project, a 380-hectare logistics zone connected to the port, for a total of one million square meters of warehouses on the outskirts of the city.
According to him, the land is now available, the tender process for the works will be launched shortly, and the analysis of the proposals will take place in ten days.
The goal is to provide Casablanca with centralized and shared storage infrastructure on the outskirts, following the model of major global metropolises, while developing urban distribution solutions adapted to the density and diversity of points of sale, explained the DG of the AMDL, deeming it fundamental to provide parking spaces dedicated to delivery and especially to promote the pooling of flows.
With its peri-urban zones, Casablanca represents a metropolis of 4 million inhabitants with purchasing power above the national average, generating nearly a third (32%) of the national GDP, which is more than double the contribution of the Rabat-Salé-Kenitra region, he specified, explaining the concentration of more than half of the national industrial production in Casablanca, notably by the historical development of the city around its port infrastructure.
Mr. El Machrafi also noted that this urban and economic configuration generates three main categories of logistics flows to be managed effectively, namely the mobility of people, the domestic trade supply chain, and the foreign trade logistics chain, intrinsically linked to port activities.
For his part, the Chairman and CEO of the La Voie Express group, Mohamed Talal, insisted on the need for local governance to involve logistics professionals more to benefit from their valuable expertise in mastering the realities of the field, customer needs, and the constraints specific to urban distribution.
He mentioned two major challenges that persist in this context, namely the preponderance of small merchants still representing 80% of the retail market and the emergence of electronic commerce which generates new delivery flows, particularly popular with young consumers.
Furthermore, Mr. Talal estimated that an effective public policy regarding urban logistics should imperatively be developed in consultation with the private sector, by relying on proven technical solutions such as the development of dedicated delivery zones and the optimization of schedules.
The modernization of the regulatory framework is also a priority, he continued, considering that certain legislative provisions no longer reflect the contemporary realities of the sector.
For her part, the Director of Strategy and Development of the National Ports Agency (ANP), Asmaa Karboub, emphasized the crucial importance of the port of Casablanca for the Moroccan economy.
"The port of Casablanca constitutes a fundamental pillar of the regional economy and a strategic lever for international cooperation initiatives, particularly with countries in the Atlantic region in the agricultural sector, for the benefit of rural communities," she said.
Ms. Karboub indicated that the port represents approximately 30% of national maritime traffic, handles nearly 90% of the tonnage of non-containerized goods handled by the ANP, and processes 60% of Moroccan phosphate and more than half of the country's cereal imports.
And she added: "The daily circulation of more than 5,000 trucks on average, with peaks reaching 11,000 vehicles, and the connections established with more than a hundred international ports underline Casablanca's central role in regional port logistics."
Placed under the High Patronage of HM King Mohammed VI, Logismed is being held until May 15th, under the theme "Supply Chain in Morocco: an industry at the service of competitiveness, sovereignty, and the sophistication of the economy."
A true Moroccan showcase open to global challenges, this exhibition is an opportunity to take stock of the progress of the national strategy for developing logistics competitiveness, while identifying future priorities in light of rapid changes on an international scale.
According to him, the land is now available, the tender process for the works will be launched shortly, and the analysis of the proposals will take place in ten days.
The goal is to provide Casablanca with centralized and shared storage infrastructure on the outskirts, following the model of major global metropolises, while developing urban distribution solutions adapted to the density and diversity of points of sale, explained the DG of the AMDL, deeming it fundamental to provide parking spaces dedicated to delivery and especially to promote the pooling of flows.
With its peri-urban zones, Casablanca represents a metropolis of 4 million inhabitants with purchasing power above the national average, generating nearly a third (32%) of the national GDP, which is more than double the contribution of the Rabat-Salé-Kenitra region, he specified, explaining the concentration of more than half of the national industrial production in Casablanca, notably by the historical development of the city around its port infrastructure.
Mr. El Machrafi also noted that this urban and economic configuration generates three main categories of logistics flows to be managed effectively, namely the mobility of people, the domestic trade supply chain, and the foreign trade logistics chain, intrinsically linked to port activities.
For his part, the Chairman and CEO of the La Voie Express group, Mohamed Talal, insisted on the need for local governance to involve logistics professionals more to benefit from their valuable expertise in mastering the realities of the field, customer needs, and the constraints specific to urban distribution.
He mentioned two major challenges that persist in this context, namely the preponderance of small merchants still representing 80% of the retail market and the emergence of electronic commerce which generates new delivery flows, particularly popular with young consumers.
Furthermore, Mr. Talal estimated that an effective public policy regarding urban logistics should imperatively be developed in consultation with the private sector, by relying on proven technical solutions such as the development of dedicated delivery zones and the optimization of schedules.
The modernization of the regulatory framework is also a priority, he continued, considering that certain legislative provisions no longer reflect the contemporary realities of the sector.
For her part, the Director of Strategy and Development of the National Ports Agency (ANP), Asmaa Karboub, emphasized the crucial importance of the port of Casablanca for the Moroccan economy.
"The port of Casablanca constitutes a fundamental pillar of the regional economy and a strategic lever for international cooperation initiatives, particularly with countries in the Atlantic region in the agricultural sector, for the benefit of rural communities," she said.
Ms. Karboub indicated that the port represents approximately 30% of national maritime traffic, handles nearly 90% of the tonnage of non-containerized goods handled by the ANP, and processes 60% of Moroccan phosphate and more than half of the country's cereal imports.
And she added: "The daily circulation of more than 5,000 trucks on average, with peaks reaching 11,000 vehicles, and the connections established with more than a hundred international ports underline Casablanca's central role in regional port logistics."
Placed under the High Patronage of HM King Mohammed VI, Logismed is being held until May 15th, under the theme "Supply Chain in Morocco: an industry at the service of competitiveness, sovereignty, and the sophistication of the economy."
A true Moroccan showcase open to global challenges, this exhibition is an opportunity to take stock of the progress of the national strategy for developing logistics competitiveness, while identifying future priorities in light of rapid changes on an international scale.