Morocco’s Industrial Transformation: Building Competitive, Sustainable, and Balanced Territories

The territory of Morocco is being reshaped around new industrial dynamics. Integrated zones, production hubs, and eco-districts reflect a desire to combine competitiveness and sustainability. From Tangier Tech to the Oujda Technopole, industrial development is becoming a lever for economic sovereignty and regional balance.

Industrial development across the country is entering a new phase: consolidation and sustainability. Integrated hubs are emerging in all regions, designed as true catalysts for competitiveness. In a context of global reindustrialization and strategic relocation, Morocco is focusing on industrial zones capable of attracting investment, creating jobs, and supporting the ecological transition of its productive sector.

Morocco’s development strategy is based on territorial coherence

Under the impetus of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Morocco is continuing the implementation of its Integrated Industrial Development Plan. This approach is based on a balanced vision, which focuses on bringing production hubs closer to employment areas and major logistics corridors.

Tanger Med, Jorf Lasfar, Kenitra, and Midparc in Nouaceur are now showcases of this policy. Since 2021, the industrial development policy has accelerated: 3,600 hectares (ha) have been created and another 2,400 are under development, while an additional 4,000 ha have been allocated in 2024, bringing the total to approximately 13,000 ha of active industrial zones.

Sites like the Berrechid Eco-park, certified HQE Aménagement (High Environmental Quality Development), illustrate the integration of environmental standards into new projects. This strategy aims not only at competitiveness but also at territorial cohesion, by stimulating inland regions through emerging areas such as Beni Mellal, Guercif, Oujda, and Laâyoune.

Integrated industrial hubs serving productive sovereignty:

The logic of “productive hubs” in Morocco is strengthening. The industrial zones of Kenitra (automotive), Jorf Lasfar (chemicals and energy) and Tangier Automotive City (export-oriented manufacturing) now concentrate a major share of the country’s industrial added value.

These sites function as complete ecosystems, encompassing production, logistics, training, and innovation. The Mohammed VI Tangier Tech City project, developed on 2,000 hectares, exemplifies this integrated approach. Designed to host high-tech industries, electronics clusters, and automotive plants, this hub aims to generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the medium term.

Eco-districts and sustainable zones in Morocco: a new paradigm for economic urban planning

Industrial development is accompanied by a changing urban landscape. Morocco is now integrating sustainability and energy efficiency as key structural drivers in its development plans. The Oujda Technopole, dedicated to renewable energy, agribusiness, and logistics, exemplifies this shift towards modern and sustainable industrial zones.

In the south, of Morocco the City of Trades and Skills (CMC) in Laâyoune, inaugurated by the OFPPT (Office for Vocational Training and Employment Promotion), embodies a new generation of training infrastructure, fostering a better match between local skills and regional industrial needs. The Ministry of National Territorial Planning and Urban Development is now incorporating sustainability and inclusion principles into the planning of economic activity zones.

Official guidelines emphasize the coherence between urban mobility, energy efficiency, and territorial attractiveness, in accordance with the principles of sustainable development promoted by national urban policy and sustainable urban mobility plans. The objective is to ensure a balance between industrial dynamism, quality of life, and social integration in expanding urban areas.

A productive network in transition:

Industrial and logistics zones in Morocco are no longer simply areas for businesses to locate, but true drivers of transformation. They structure the territory, foster regional integration, and support emerging value chains. By combining planning, innovation, and sustainability, Morocco is redefining its model of productive development.

This dynamic relies on strengthened governance and the mobilization of public and private stakeholders around a shared ambition: to build competitive, connected, and sustainable industrial spaces. Spatial planning thus becomes an instrument of economic sovereignty and a driver of social balance, serving a more harmonious and resilient development.

Smart cities, the convergence of digital technology and territory

Digitalization is complementing this transformation. Several Moroccan cities, notably Casablanca, Benguerir, Rabat, and Fez, are experimenting with smart governance solutions for managing mobility, energy, and waste.

The Green & Smart Building Park in Benguerir, managed by IRESEN, symbolizes this alliance between innovation, sustainability, and urban planning. It serves as both a research center and a demonstration site for green technologies.

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(Featured image by Rosen Stoyanov via Unsplash)

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First published in LES ECO.ma. A third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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