Morocco Pitches Sahara as Next Investment Frontier at Montpellier Forum
Rabat – Morocco’s southern provinces took center stage at an economic forum held Wednesday evening in Montpellier, where Moroccan and French officials, business leaders, and institutional actors gathered to explore emerging investment opportunities across the country.
Organized by the Moroccan Consulate General in Montpellier in partnership with the Occitanie region, the event was held under the theme “Kingdom of Morocco: Land of Opportunities and Diversity.” It offered a structured overview of the economic momentum shaping Morocco’s Sahara regions, with participants highlighting a range of high-potential sectors driving growth in the southern provinces.
Discussions explored renewable energy, green hydrogen, fisheries, and sustainable tourism. In particular, participants presented major infrastructure projects such as the Dakhla Atlantic port, expanding industrial and logistics zones, and seawater desalination plants as key pillars of a long-term development strategy.
They emphasized that these initiatives reflect the vision of King Mohammed VI to position the southern provinces as a model of integrated development and a strategic continental hub linking Africa to global markets.
Morocco’s Consul General in Montpellier, Lamiae Bennani, underlined the importance of showcasing the region’s rapid transformation, describing the southern provinces as emerging economic poles supported by free zones and large-scale structuring projects.
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She also pointed to flagship initiatives reinforcing Morocco’s regional leadership, including the Royal initiative to facilitate Sahel countries’ access to the Atlantic, the Tiznit-Dakhla expressway, and the Africa Atlantic gas pipeline project, which aims to connect 13 African countries.
Officials from regional investment centers detailed how Moroccan institutions are supporting investors throughout project lifecycles, from conception to expansion. Representatives from Dakhla-Oued Eddahab and Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra regions outlined their competitive advantages, citing modern infrastructure, strong connectivity, and abundant natural resources as key drivers of economic takeoff.
Beyond Morocco’s southern provinces, the forum also spotlighted investment opportunities in regions such as Rabat-Salé-Kénitra and Marrakech-Safi, reinforcing the country’s broader territorial development model. Speakers stressed the role of advanced regionalization in enhancing governance, boosting local economies, and aligning national strategies with regional specificities.
The event also featured a presentation on the Casablanca Stock Exchange, highlighting its growing role as a barometer of Morocco’s economic resilience and attractiveness to investors.
Bringing together elected officials, institutional representatives, business leaders, and students, the forum shed light on the growing interest in strengthening Morocco-France economic ties at the regional level, while positioning Morocco as a competitive and stable destination for international investment.
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