Oriental
From The Report: Morocco 2014
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The 2003-13 royal initiative, the region’s 10-year economic development programme introduced in 2003, has transformed the Oriental’s economy, placing a strong emphasis on local industry, value-added agricultural production, application of new technologies and a reduction in economic reliance on Algeria. The region has many advantages, including its Mediterranean coastline, a fertile agricultural environment in the north, diverse topography and a young population. However, the region still has a number of hurdles to overcome. The authorities still have a long way to go to reduce the role of the informal economy, for instance, and support the growth of SMEs at a local level. The region is nonetheless well positioned to see a significant increase in growth. Considerable public investment in infrastructure over the last decade has benefitted companies throughout the construction, public works and building materials sectors. With improved infrastructure, new turnkey zones for potential investors, and a spate of investments in the service and social sectors, the scope for growth in the Oriental region is significant.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Rising in the east: The region aims to establish a dynamic, self-sufficient economy
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The landscape of Morocco’s easternmost region, known as the Oriental, is vastly different than it was a decade ago, thanks to an overarching economic development initiative launched in 2003. The region has a number of advantages, with Mediterranean coastline, a fertile agricultural environment in the north, diverse topography and a young population. Yet it grappled with underinvestment until the late 1990s, as development efforts focused on Morocco’s economic and administrative centres in Casablanca and Rabat. Several factors – including the Oriental’s traditional economic dependence on markets in Algeria and Southern Europe, distance…

Analysis

Getting industrious: Three new zones will boost value-added processing in the region
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The Moroccan real estate and business park developer MEDZ, a subsidiary of the Caisse de Dêpot et de Gestion (CDG), is working to set up and commercialise three industrial zones in the Oriental region. MEDZ manages a network of 14 zones nationwide focused on tourism, industry and offshoring, with Oriental hosting a greater concentration of MEDZ projects than any other region. This is an indicator of both the region’s economic potential and the government’s emphasis on developing the area, which was largely marginalised until the 1990s. BUILDING MATERIALS: Currently, the Oriental region’s strongest industrial segment is construction…

Analysis

Growth opportunities: There are plans to increase the value and volume of agricultural output
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Agriculture has always been a major component of the local economy in the Oriental region, historically vying with mining as one of the main revenue earners. However, like several other regions in Morocco, the Oriental has struggled to capture a larger part of the value of local production, often depending on raw exports or subsistence-level farming. A total of 77 projects were designated for the region under the national agricultural development strategy, the Green Morocco Plan (Plan Maroc Vert, PMV), which aims to optimise production, modernise the sector and increase value added. Regional authorities have highlighted several focus points…

Analysis

Sea change: A major port project aims to make the region a maritime transport hub
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The Nador West Med Port project, which is still in the early stages of construction, aims to build a deepwater port with trans-shipment and container facilities and stands to transform the Oriental region’s position in Morocco’s maritime transport system. The region is currently served by one international port, Nador Port at Beni Ansar, which was built in 1978 for imports to the region, particularly to the Sonasid steel manufacturing complex in Nador. Beni Ansar has capacity for bulk cargo, fishing, international road transport (transport international routier, TIR), and ferry services to Spain and France, but crucially, it has no…

Analysis

Dual speed: A development strategy is in place to attract both large-scale and niche tourism visitors
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With 200 km of Mediterranean coastline, mountainous areas, thermal springs and a desert oasis, the Oriental region is not short of tourist attractions. The regional development initiative has outlined plans to build its tourism potential at several levels, targeting different markets. These include the construction of large-scale, luxury beachside resorts in Saïdia and Marchica, efforts to increase capacity in cities such as Oujda and Berkane, and the development of small-scale rural tourism, which will focus on the region’s unique cultural identity and environment. The Oriental region had 8750 hotel beds in 2013. The coastal province…

Analysis

A new face: Urban development projects transform the regional capital
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A host of urban renewal and infrastructure projects have completely altered the cityscape of Oujda over the last decade as part of a strategy aimed at revitalising the regional capital. Infrastructure programmes have had an impact on nearly all elements of the city. Highway access roads and city entrances have been built or rehabilitated; the medina, the historic city centre that retains an important commercial role today, has been renovated to preserve its cultural identity; and a large public square was developed at the entrance of the medina in the same style as the famous Jemaa El Fnaa in Marrakech. The municipal government also created…

Analysis

A helping hand: Several programmes aim to strengthen regional SMEs
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The rising tide of government investment in the last decade has resulted in a marked improvement in the Oriental region’s business infrastructure, increased activity, the creation of an efficient transport network and improved linkages with other economic centres. The establishment of modern industrial platforms has also expanded opportunities for capital. Oujda’s Regional Investment Council (Conseil Ré gional d’Investissement, CRI) is charged with aiding both domestic and foreign investors in the region. The CRI approved 250 requests for assistance for new investment projects in 2013, on par with the number of new projects launched…