His Majesty King Mohammed VI, presided on Sunday 28 January 2018 in Agadir over the presentation ceremony of the regional declination of the Industrial Acceleration Plan 2014-2020 for the Souss-Massa region.

The Souss-Massa industrial project which initiates the regional approach of the national industrial strategy is part of the larger vision of His Majesty the King, advocating through the deployment of the process of advanced Regionalization, an equitable territorial development, balanced, inclusive and adapted to the specificities of each region. The project aims to transform the region into an economic centre capable of creating employment to develop its coveted economic wealth, supporting its productive sectors to ensure inclusive growth, at the service of its citizens.

The Minister of Industry, Investment, Trade and Digital Economy, Mr Moulay Hafid Elalamy, stressed on this occasion, in a speech delivered before His Majesty the King that “the industry has adopted for its part, in accordance with instructions by His Majesty the King, a regionalized approach, in order to localise productive activities as close to citizens as possible, to capitalize on the potential of all the regions, thus allowing further development of the area”.

To initiate its regional declination, the Industrial Acceleration Plan is relying on significant achievements and structuring projects completed under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty the King.

The emergence of a competitive economic centre through specific and adapted levers.

“The Souss-Massa industrial project is expected to create 24,000 new jobs over its life, in partnership with professional bodies. The first jobs will be created by the projects signed today by the private investors”, stressed Mr Elalamy. To that end, the industrial approach designed for Souss-Massa intends to consolidate the existing industrial sectors while proactively and effectively developing new ones.

In the field of agro-industrial production, Souss-Massa will be established as a processing platform for agricultural products at the national and African levels. An enhanced partnership between the agriculture and industry ministries was implemented to benefit operators, through a joint support programme involving the Industrial Development Fund and the Agricultural Development Fund (FDA), as well as the provision of the Agropole.

The infrastructure of the shipbuilding sector will commit an investment of about 5 billion dirhams nationwide, knowing that the Souss-Massa shipyard component is already integrated therein. Additionally, the chemical sector will benefit from specific assistance to develop in the areas of organic and green chemistry.

Furthermore, new ecosystems will be developed particularly in emerging sectors such as industrial acceleration, automotive subcontracting, offshoring, leather, building materials and plastic processing.

To support this regional goal, and with the backing of the banking sector, five complementary measures will be implemented :

• An Industrial Free Zone of 300 ha, integrated in the urban area, and providing industrial real estate to international standards at competitive prices. The free zone will increase the attractiveness of the region and draw job-creating export activities.
• The involvement of OFPPT to train personnel and support organisations in the training and certification of their staff.
• The establishment of a Technopark and an Innovation City. The Technopark is aimed at SMEs and start-ups in the ICT sector and provides ready-to-use premises with support services. The Innovation City provides the region with a technological infrastructure, supporting of young people with innovative projects.
• 500 million will be dedicated to the Industrial and Agricultural Development Funds and to industrial projects in the Region.
• The private sector in the Souss-Massa Region will allocate 500 million dirhams to invest in these industrial projects.

Thanks to the involvement of all stakeholders, operators will be able to implement industrial projects in the Souss-Mass Region with a shareholder’s equity of 20%. In fact, local private investors will provide an additional 20% and the Industrial and Agricultural Development Funds will provide a further 20% while banks will finance the remaining 40% under advantageous conditions.

On this occasion, His Majesty the King, may God assist, presided over the signing ceremony of 8 agreements and a protocol enabling the regionalisation of the Industrial Acceleration Plan in the Souss-Massa Region and the implementation of 11 industrials investment projects in the Region.

1. Agreement for the deployment of automotive, leather, naval, chemicals, plastic processing, building materials and offshoring ecosystems in the Souss-Massa region. 2. Agreement for the assistance in training human resources as part of the industrial development strategy of the Souss-Massa Region in the horizon 2020. 3. Agreement for the implementation of an Innovation City in the Souss-Massa region. 4. Agreement for the planning, development, promotion, commercialisation and management of the Souss-Massa free zone. 5. Agreement for the declination of the development strategy for agrifood industries in the Souss-Massa region. 6. Agreement for the financing of the Programme for Development of Agrifood Industries. 7. Agreement for the establishment of a Technopark in the Souss Massa Region. 8. Agreement for the support to the establishment of a Private Fund for the development of investment in the Souss-Massa Region. 9. Protocol for the implementation of 11 industrial investments in the sectors of building materials, plastic processing, paper and cardboard industry and Offshoring.