This meeting, which falls within the framework of the participatory approach launched by the State Secretariat in charge of Foreign Trade, aims to expand the discussion with local economic actors, with a view to presenting concrete proposals that contribute to developing an action plan with realistic measures to develop the foreign trade roadmap for the 2025-2026 period.
In a speech on the occasion, the Secretary of State to the Minister of Industry and Trade in charge of Foreign Trade, Omar Hejira, highlighted the significant untapped export potential in Morocco, estimated at 120 billion dirhams, including 12 billion dirhams on the African continent, noting that the Ministry has identified 60 investment projects on the African continent, aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of Moroccan companies exporting to this market.
Mr. Hejira said that the goal of this consultative meeting in the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region is to explore ways to develop and stimulate regional exports, enhance their specificities, increase their competitiveness, and reach new markets, which would qualify them to play leading economic roles in North Africa.
In this regard, he reviewed the significant potential available to the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region, which concerns integrated qualifications that have not yet been exploited, which will enable it to develop and strengthen the competitiveness and promotion of its regional exports.
The Secretary of State explained, in this regard, that the region has a competitive capacity that attracts investors and enables the achievement of distinguished performance, noting that this region is a leader in the field of sardine fishing, which has made it take the lead at the national level with a total production of 222 thousand tons, and the second in terms of financial value, equivalent to 3 billion dirhams, during the year 2023, and the third in terms of the number of industrial units, especially those specialized in processing fishery products.
Mr. Hejira mentioned that the industrial indicators for this region reached 7.2 billion dirhams regarding industrial turnover, and 230 million dirhams regarding industrial investment, highlighting that the industrial export turnover of the region reached nearly 5 billion dirhams, all of which concerns the food industry.
He pointed out that the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region is key for the production of renewable energies and green hydrogen because it has natural resources suitable for the production of solar and wind energy, concerning the strategic location on the Atlantic Ocean which facilitates the export of green hydrogen and its derivatives, and vast lands suitable for establishing stations for the production of renewable energy and hydrogen.
Mr. Omar Hejira noted, in this regard, that the region has nine projects for the production of wind energy and green hydrogen with an investment value reaching 226 billion dirhams, which will enable the creation of 9,730 jobs, highlighting the great potential it has in the field of fishery and appropriate infrastructure that supports the development of marine product industries, which include 37 units for processing fishery products, which represents 79 percent of the total units in the region.
He touched on the occasion on the industrial ecosystem that the region has, which enables it to develop a competitive industry and promote regional exports, and concerns 3 industrial zones on an area of more than 195 hectares, and includes the industrial zone at the port of Boujdour 16.5 hectares, the Al-Fath industrial zone in Boujdour 40.9 hectares, and the Marsa economic activities zone 138 hectares.
Regarding the projects that are under implementation and which concern economic activities with the aim of enhancing the territorial attractiveness of the region and strengthening its competitive capabilities, the government official highlighted that they include the economic activity zone in Smara 26 hectares, the industrial zone in Tarfaya 70 hectares, and the industry, trade, and distribution zone in Marsa 75 hectares, noting the possibility of concluding partnerships with the region within the framework of the 2025/2026 action program in order to enhance regional specificity, develop and stimulate exports, increase competitiveness and access to new markets, as well as strengthen institutional coordination and governance.
For his part, the Wali of the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region, Governor of the Laayoune province, Mr. Abdeslam Bekrate, confirmed in a speech on the occasion that Morocco, under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, has achieved significant economic growth in recent years, highlighting the numerous projects that have been launched in various fields, which include economic openness, infrastructure, improving the business climate, and the new industrial strategy.
