Mohammed VI chaired a high-level working meeting on the Nador West Med port and industrial complex on Wednesday at the Royal Palace in Casablanca, as preparations intensify ahead of the project’s operational launch scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026.
The meeting forms part of the Royal Vision to firmly anchor Morocco’s economy within global value chains through the development of world-class port infrastructure. It underscores the strategic importance attached to Nador West Med as a new driver of competitiveness, industrial growth, and regional development.
During the session, Fouad Brini, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nador West Med, presented the progress achieved so far. The project builds on the international success of Tanger Med, now recognized as Africa’s and the Mediterranean’s leading port hub, and extends this ambition to the Kingdom’s eastern seaboard.
The goal is to establish an efficient and complementary national port system that strengthens Morocco’s economic resilience, supports job creation, and promotes balanced territorial development.
Designed as an integrated complex, Nador West Med combines a next-generation port with a vast industrial, logistics, and energy platform. To date, the project has attracted total public and private investments of MAD 51 billion.
All core port infrastructure has been completed, including 5.4 kilometers of breakwaters, 4 kilometers of quays, and four power stations. Concession contracts for the two container terminals have already been signed and will progressively enter into force this year.
A key innovation of the project is the establishment of an energy hub, featuring Morocco’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal with an annual capacity of 5 billion cubic meters, alongside a hydrocarbon terminal. This component directly addresses the Kingdom’s strategic energy sovereignty objectives.
At launch, the port is expected to handle 5 million containers per year, as well as 35 million tonnes of liquid and solid bulk cargo. In the longer term, the development potential rises to 12 million additional containers and 15 million tonnes of liquid bulk cargo annually.
The project also includes the development of new activity zones covering 700 hectares in the first phase, which have already welcomed initial installations by international operators. Private investments alone currently stand at MAD 20 billion, reflecting strong confidence from leading global maritime and industrial players in Morocco’s economic outlook.
At the conclusion of the meeting, King Mohammed VI issued firm instructions to all stakeholders to ensure the project’s launch under optimal conditions. He also called for the rapid implementation of targeted training programs to support investors, facilitate youth integration, and enhance employability.
The Sovereign further stressed that the benefits of these investments must extend to all provinces within the port’s area of influence, through territorial upgrading programs aimed at improving quality of life, and through a multidimensional action plan to safeguard the project’s long-term development.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of the Interior Abdelouafi Laftit, the Minister of Economy and Finance Nadia Fettah, the Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Baraka, the Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour, the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development Leila Benali, and Fouad Brini, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nador West Med.
