King Mohammed VI Unveils Plans for Major Railway Expansion to Agadir

According to the Sovereign, the map of Morocco has changed a lot since the Green March. "Yet, we do not always exactly assimilate its configuration which places Rabat at the northern tip of the country, and Agadir in its center. Indeed, Agadir is almost equidistant from Tangier and the Saharan Provinces," pointed out Mohammed VI, while stressing that, despite its resources and potential, the region still suffers in terms of infrastructure.

The King thus called for giving the region the place it deserves, by facilitating its connectivity with the other regions. "Therefore, we call for serious consideration of the establishment of a railway link between Marrakech and Agadir, considering the prospect of a subsequent extension to the rest of the Southern Provinces," announced the Sovereign.

He also recommended, in his speech, the development of the road network by setting up the expressway, Dakhla-Agadir. "The Souss-Massa region must become an economic hub connecting the northern and southern parts of Morocco, by making the link between Tangier in the North and Oujda in the East, on the one hand, and our Saharan provinces, on the other hand," he said.

The king explained that "this railway infrastructure project will finally be an essential lever for the creation of many jobs, not only in the Souss Region, but also in all the surrounding areas."

He took the opportunity of his speech to encourage regional development, which will have to be based on cooperation between the regions and on their complementarity, in particular, by equipping each of them with a zone dedicated to economic activities.

"It is also important to implement sectoral policies at the regional level," said the Sovereign, stressing that "the new dynamic launched at the level of State institutions, the Government and the administration, will also have to be declined at the regional level".