The French Development Agency (AFD) has vowed to support the development momentum in the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region through strategic partnerships with local stakeholders.
The pledge was made by AFD CEO Rémy Rioux in a statement on behalf of the French state,following a meeting in Dakhla on Monday,with the Wali of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region and Governor of the Oued Eddahab province,Ali Khalil; the President of the Regional Council,El Khattat Yanja; and the President of the Dakhla Municipal Council,Erragheb Hormatallah.
Rémy Rioux,on a working visit to Morocco that included trips to Laayoune and Dakhla,affirmed that the AFD will also work to strengthen the capacities of local stakeholders,particularly in development planning,highlighting the importance of coordination with the region,Regional Multiservice Departments (SRM),and Local Development Companies (SDL).
He expressed admiration for the region’s natural and cultural assets,including the Atlantic Ocean,desert landscapes,archaeological sites,and the area’s diverse heritage. “These assets,give the region exceptional development potential,particularly in tourism,culture,and the blue economy sectors.”
During the visit to Dakhla,AFD chief and his accompanying high-level delegation were briefed on the region’s broad-based development momentum and the projects implemented to position it as a strategic hub.
They toured the Dakhla Atlantic Port construction site,a flagship project of the new development model for Morocco’s southern provinces,as well as the Dakhla fishing port.
During the visit to Laayoune over the weekend,Rémy Rioux announced that the AFD group was planning significant investments worth around €150 million in Morocco’s southern provinces.
Rioux told the media that “the AFD Group will now invest in the southern regions,bringing both investments and financing.”
The Agency’s CEO highlighted the major investments already achieved in the southern provinces,noting that AFD can “contribute additional expertise and financing.”
He also expressed how “deeply impressed” he has been by the investments and the quality of infrastructure in the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region,which help create jobs and meet the expectations of young people in Morocco’s southern regions.
In this context,he welcomed the establishment of private enterprises and industrial zones in Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra,emphasizing that AFD’s investments in the southern provinces send a strong signal to economic stakeholders “by offering financing solutions.”
The visit by the AFD delegation falls in the frame of the “Reinforced Exceptional Partnership” signed between King Mohammed VI and President Emmanuel Macron,during the latter’s state visit to the Kingdom in October 2024,and is a tangible expression of the shared desire to further strengthen the rich bilateral cooperation between the two countries,and to support the momentum of inclusive and sustainable development in all regions of the Kingdom.
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