HM the King Chairs Ceremony to Present Regional Implementation of 2014-2020 Industrial Plan in Souss-Massa Region, the Signing of Eight Agreements & Related Protocol

Agadir - The industrial project of Souss-Massa that initiates the regional implementation of the national industrial strategy is part of the royal vision which advocates, through the deployment of the process of advanced regionalization, a fair, balanced and inclusive territorial development that is adapted to the specificities of each region.

It aims to make the region an economic pole capable of creating employment, promoting its wealth, supporting its productive sectors in order to ensure inclusive growth to serve the citizen.

At the beginning of this ceremony, an institutional film was screened, which highlights the kingdom's momentum of development over the last decade, notably through strategic projects related to different sectors (infrastructure, training, industry, renewable energy, ...).

Minister of Industry, Investment, Trade and Digital Economy, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, stressed in an address before HM the King that the sector of industry "adopts a regionalized approach, in accordance with the high royal instructions, in order to identify the productive activities closer to the citizens, to capitalize on the potential of all our regions and to reach a new level of emergence."      

The Industrial Acceleration Plan is based on the major achievements and structuring projects carried out under the enlightened leadership of HM the King to start its regional implementation and allow the regions, each according to its specificities, to host productive activities, create jobs and wealth benefiting local citizens.

"The Souss-Massa industrial project aims to create 24,000 new jobs in the future, in partnership with professional federations, the first of which will be generated by the projects signed today by private investors," Elalamy said.

In the field of agro-industrial production, Souss-Massa will be a processing platform for agricultural products intended for domestic use and for our African continent. A strengthened partnership between the ministries of Agriculture and Industry has been set up benefiting operators, through a joint support program involving the Industrial Development Fund and the Agricultural Development Fund, as well as the provision of agropole.

The infrastructure of the shipbuilding sector will invest nearly 5 billion dirhams nationally. The chemistry sector will benefit from a specific support that promotes the development of organic and green chemistry.

New ecosystems will be developed, notably in emerging sectors, drivers of industrial acceleration, such as automotive subcontracting, offshoring, leather, building materials and plastics.

To support this regional ambition and in addition to supporting the banking sector, five complementary levers will be put in place:

-An industrial free zone of 300 ha, integrated in an urban area. It will provide access to industrial land with international standards and competitive prices. This free zone will strengthen the region's attractiveness and attract export-oriented and job-creating activities.

-The involvement of the OFPPT for the training of human resources to support industrialists in the training and qualification of their employees.

-The realization of a Technopark and a Cité de l'innovation (innovation city). This Technopark will be aimed at SMEs and start-ups in the ICT sector and will provide ready-to-use premises with support services. The Cité de l'innovation will provide the region with a technological infrastructure to support young people with innovative projects.

-500 million dirhams will be allocated by the Industrial and Agricultural Development Funds to support industrial projects in the region.

-The private sector of the Souss-Massa region will earmark 500 million dirhams to invest in these industrial projects.

Thanks to this new involvement of all stakeholders, the industrial projects that will be developed in the Souss-Massa region can be carried out by operators with a contribution limited to 20% of the amount of these projects. In fact, another 20 % will come from private investors in the region, and an additional 20 % will come from subsidies of the Industrial and Agriculture Development Funds. The remaining 40% will be financed on favourable terms by the banking sector.

On this occasion, HM King Mohammed VI chaired the signing ceremony of eight agreements and a protocol allowing the implementation of the regionalization of the Industrial Acceleration Plan at the level of the Souss-Massa region, and the realization of 11 industrial investments in the region:

1-An agreement for the implementation in the Souss-Massa region of the automotive, leather, naval, chemistry, plastics, building materials and offshoring ecosystems.

2-An agreement to support the training needs of human resources of the industrial development strategy in the Souss-Massa region by 2020.

3-An agreement to set up a Cité de l’Innovation in the Souss-Massa region.

4-An agreement for the development, promotion, marketing and management of the Souss-Massa free zone.

5-An agreement for the implementation of the development strategy of agro-food industries at the level of the Souss-Massa region.

6-An agreement for the financing of the Agribusiness Development Program.

7-An agreement for the establishment of a Technopark in the Souss Massa region.

8-An agreement to support the setting up of a private Fund for the development of investment in the Souss-Massa region.

9- A protocol for the realization of 11 industrial investments in the sectors of building materials, plastics, paper and cardboard industries and offshoring.

This ceremony took place in the presence notably of HM the King’s advisors, members of the government, the presidents of the regional councils, economic operators and several other personalities.