"The investment climate in Morocco, the case of Nador and Driouch" is the theme of a colloquium that will be organised on April 21 in Nador, with the participation of several public and private bodies and establishments.

The colloquium will be organised by the committee of parliamentarians of the provinces of Nador and Driouch, the multidisciplinary faculty of the city (Mohamed 1st University), the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Nador-Driouch, and the Oriental Agency, indicates a press release from the organisers.

Initiated in collaboration with several partners, this meeting is intended as a contribution "to the promotion of investment as a strategic support for economic and social growth and a factor of stability of the macroeconomic framework", indicate the organisers.

"The fight against unemployment, poverty, and the improvement of a country's added value require intensive efforts in terms of productive investments", specifies the same source, adding that the provinces of Nador and Driouch have, thanks to successive royal visits over the last decade, entered into a dynamic of all-out development.

"The choice of these two provinces is justified by their strategic position close to Europe, their human, material, and natural potential, but also and above all by the large number of MREs (Moroccans living abroad) from this region", it is added.

This initiative emanates from a desire expressed by all the actors wishing to create fruitful synergies, within the framework of a participatory approach, to give these two provinces "a positive brand image and break with the reputation of a smuggling region that has stuck to them for years", according to the press release.

This meeting will take stock of investment actions in the region, which has been experiencing the realisation of important development projects in various fields for years.

The same source indicates that experiences from foreign countries in terms of investment will be presented during this colloquium, which will be marked by the participation of public and private establishments concerned with the issue of investments. The meeting will also be an opportunity to present local "success stories" of investment and shed light on the difficulties in the matter.

The organisers also plan debate sessions to answer questions related to the factors that block investment in the provinces of Nador and Driouch, the measures to be taken to further facilitate investment conditions, infrastructure, financing, and incentive measures.

Projects of more than 22 billion dirhams were instructed by the Nador Investment Centre between 2003 and 2009. Moroccan investors are in the lead with 14.96 billion DH invested, followed by the Spanish (6.70 billion DH), the Italians, and the French.

Among the structuring projects that are part of the province's development strategy are, in particular, the MarChica tourism development project, public housing projects, and the Selouane industrial park.