Infrastructure Morocco to invest $1bn in public transport By Gavin Gibbon June 4, 2024, 11:51 AM Alamy via Reuters Passengers board a bus in central Marrakech, Morocco. Aside from new buses, the government will also upgrade related infrastructure 3,500 buses for 32 cities by 2029 Rail network being upgraded GDP growth shows steady rise Morocco is to invest $1.1 billion to enhance its public transport network in the latest move to improve the North African country’s infrastructure. The plan, announced by the Ministry of Interior and will be centred around the provision of 3,500 new buses by 2029, which will operated in 32 cities. Interior minister Abdelouafi Laftit said that in addition, infrastructure and urban management systems will be modernised. NewsletterGet the Best of AGBI delivered straight to your inbox every week The cost of the project will be met by the ministry and local authorities, he added. In March, Morocco issued a tender for a high-speed rail link as part of its $37 billion strategy to connect more of its cities, ports and airports by train. It aims to create 300,000 jobs by 2040. It is hoped that 87 percent of the population will have access to rail transport by then, compared to just over 50 percent today. UAE and Morocco form taskforce to double trade by 2030 Saudi-Morocco fund to drive investments – and closer ties UAE and Morocco train sights on further trade with rail deal The World Bank predicts that GDP growth in Morocco will reach 3.1 percent this year, 3.3 percent in 2025 and 3.5 percent in 2026 as domestic demand gradually recovers from shocks such as the earthquake in September 2023. Foreign direct investment inflows “remain strong and increasingly directed towards the manufacturing sector”, it said.
