Transport Morocco launches 430km high-speed train project Morocco has started construction of the Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed rail line in the capital city of Rabat. This phase will add 430 kilometres of high-speed rail connecting Kenitra (an industrial centre on the coast in north-western Morocco) to the country’s economic hub, Casablanca, and further south to the historic city of Marrakech, serving the airports of […] April 28, 2025
Oil & Gas Morocco invites bids to build its first LNG plant Morocco has invited companies to bid to build the country’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal as it seeks to diversify its sources of fuel, Morocco World News reported. A gas pipeline will also be built to link the terminal at Nador West Med Port on Morocco’s Mediterranean coast to the Maghreb Europe Gas Pipeline, […] April 25, 2025
Oil & Gas Morocco and Nigeria agree terms for $25bn gas pipeline Morocco and Nigeria have agreed to create a joint venture to manage a long-planned $25 billion pipeline which will ship gas to Europe, a Moroccan minister has said. Leila Benali, minister of energy transition and sustainable development, told Morocco’s parliament that a floating gas storage terminal would also be installed at Nador on the Mediterranean […] April 24, 2025
Infrastructure Morocco to borrow for World Cup rail and airport projects Morocco is planning to seek loans to fund multi-billion dollar rail and airport projects as it prepares to co-host the Fifa World Cup in 2030, according to a minister. The projects include a high speed train network linking the commercial capital of Casablanca on the Atlantic with Marrakesh and a new civilian airport in Casablanca, […] April 22, 2025
Banking & Finance Morocco’s PayTic raises $4m for Africa expansion PayTic, a Moroccan startup, has raised $4 million in a funding round and aims to expand into Africa, it said in a press statement on social media. PayTic, which has a presence in Europe and North America, works with banks and card issuers to simplify back-end processes such as chargebacks whereby a customer disputes a […] April 15, 2025
Renewable Energy Morocco steps up solar power drive to meet 2030 target Morocco is intensifying investment in solar power in the hope of hitting a target to raise the use of renewables in its energy mix to more than half. The country has set a target of 52 percent renewables by 2030 after achieving previous targets, local media reported. Newspapers said on Friday that hydrocarbon-poor Morocco has […] April 14, 2025
Logistics Morocco seeks operator for Africa’s largest shipyard Morocco is seeking global companies or consortiums to run what it says will be Africa’s largest shipyard in Casablanca, according to a news report. State-owned National Ports Agency issued a tender last week, inviting bids from shipyard operators to develop, equip and operate the 52-acre facility for 30 years, Bloomberg reported citing communications director Abdellatif […] April 14, 2025
Agriculture Farmers at risk from North Africa locust swarm A locust outbreak in North Africa risks endangering the livelihoods of already hard-pressed farmers in the region. In recent weeks, the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a UN agency, has issued a succession of warnings over a growing locust threat spreading from North Africa and across central Africa. In Africa’s north, adult groups of […] April 14, 2025
Economy IMF loans Morocco $4.5bn to support economy The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a new credit facility for Morocco to help in crisis prevention and to support reform. The new two-year $4.5 billion flexible credit line (FCL) will assist the country in rebuilding buffers and accelerating structural reforms in an uncertain external environment, the IMF said in a statement. The facility […] April 3, 2025
Analysis Telecoms UAE-run Maroc Telecom ends dispute with rival operator Inwi UAE-controlled Maroc Telecom and Inwi, a domestic rival owned by Morocco’s royal family, have settled a long-running dispute and agreed to launch two joint ventures to expand and upgrade the kingdom’s telecom networks. The surprise détente is a significant breakthrough for Maroc Telecom, which has succeeded in reducing the compensation it owed Inwi and fixes […] April 1, 2025
Analysis Renewable Energy Plans to bring African energy to Europe face big challenges At least five multi-billion dollar projects to bring up to 24 gigawatts of solar and wind power energy from sunny North Africa to chilly Europe, assisted by Gulf investment money, are currently being planned. But these ambitious schemes to reduce Europe’s reliance on fossil fuels generally, and energy supplies from Russia specifically, all face major […] March 28, 2025
Construction Morocco raises $2.2bn to fund World Cup projects Morocco has reportedly generated €2 billion ($2.2 billion) in new loans to fund developments needed to co-host the 2030 Fifa World Cup. The euro-denominated bonds are the first to be issued in five years, Bloomberg reported. The four- and 10-year bond tranches were priced at 155 and 215 basis points, narrower than the previous estimate, […] March 27, 2025
Infrastructure Morocco’s $1.3bn highway overhaul for 2030 World Cup Morocco plans to invest MAD12.5 billion ($1.3 billion) to develop its highway infrastructure for the 2030 Fifa World Cup. The investments, spanning from 2025 to 2032, will focus on three major projects: the Continental Rabat-Casablanca Highway, Tit Mellil-Berrechid Highway, and Ain Harrouda and Sidi Maarouf junctions, Morocco News World reported citing a statement from the […] March 24, 2025
Agriculture Relief for Moroccan agriculture after heavy rainfall Morocco has reported so much rainfall this year that it is filling dams across the country to levels not seen in at least three years. That augurs well for the agricultural sector which accounts for about one-sixth of the economy and is a component of exports and therefore foreign exchange. The economy declined last year […] March 20, 2025
Manufacturing Morocco probes alleged dumping of Egyptian and UAE steel wire Morocco has started an investigation into the alleged dumping by Egyptian and Emirati producers of galvanised steel wire used in agriculture and industry, according to local media. The investigation comes after Moroccan companies complained that Egyptian and UAE steel wire is being dumped at below market rates in the Moroccan market, Morocco World News reported. […] March 14, 2025
Renewable Energy Gulf companies win slice of $32bn Morocco hydrogen projects The Moroccan government has selected companies from the UAE and Saudi Arabia to help develop hydrogen projects worth MAD319 billion ($32 billion) in the country’s southern province, the prime minister’s office has announced. A government committee finalised five local and global investors to build six projects, said a statement from the office of Aziz Akhannouch, […] March 7, 2025
Transport Morocco to get double-decker trains ahead of World Cup Hyundai Rotem, South Korea’s railway rolling-stock maker, will supply double-decker trains to Morocco’s state-backed National Railway Office (ONCF), as the country prepares to co-host the football World Cup in 2030. The contract, valued at MAD15 billion ($1.5 billion), will support the modernisation of the country’s rail network. The new trains are designed to reach speeds of […] February 27, 2025
Analysis Tourism Moroccan tourism startups build momentum ahead of World Cup Startup innovation and entrepreneurship are helping to fuel growth in Morocco’s tourism industry. The sector’s importance to the economy is increasing as the country prepares to co-host the Fifa World Cup in 2030. Morocco welcomed 17.4 million international tourists in 2024, a 20 percent increase on 2023, the latest data from the UN World Tourism […] February 13, 2025
Infrastructure Work accelerates on Morocco’s high-speed rail Morocco has awarded contracts worth €430 million ($444 million) to expand the country’s high-speed rail network ahead of the 2030 Fifa World Cup, according to the successful French bidder. The Office National des Chemins de Fer (ONCF), the national rail operator, awarded three contracts to two subsidiaries of French civil engineering company Colas to extend […] February 10, 2025
Tourism Morocco aims to double airport capacity by 2030 Morocco expects airport traffic to reach 60 million passengers by 2030 and 90 million by 2035, according to a government official. The growth from 32 million passengers in 2024 is expected as a result of the 2030 Fifa World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal, Morocco World News reported, quoting transport and […] February 6, 2025
Oil & Gas UK’s Sound Energy helps Morocco enter LNG market Led by the UK company Sound Energy, Morocco is due to enter the liquefied natural gas market by the end of this year, as it finalises the development of its first LNG processing facility. Sound Energy owns a 20 percent stake in the project. The Moroccan mining company Managem owns 55 percent, while the remaining […] February 5, 2025
Analysis Trade Trump tariffs ‘pose long-term risk to Gulf’, say economists Gulf economies could benefit in the short term from a tariff-led trade war between the US and some of its major partners, but they face longer-term risks of lower oil prices, tariffs on their own non-oil exports and high interest rates, analysts have warned. Although President Donald Trump delayed tariffs on Canada and Mexico at […] February 4, 2025
