Moroccan-Emirati "Sustainable City" Project Stalls Near Kénitra, Facing $2 Billion Setback

More than 20 billion dirhams. This is the amount of this project located south of the city of Kénitra. Following an agreement between the Moroccan state and the Emirati group "International Investment Group" (IIG), this investment program, which started four years ago, has unfortunately been at a standstill for more than a year and a half.

In its residential component, some 2,000 apartments of all standings, built by a consortium led by the Société générale des travaux publics (SGTM), and benefiting from the most advanced green technologies in terms of energy optimization and eco-construction, were planned. Moreover, according to Challenge, nothing has been done so far regarding the other poles (the most important from a financial and urban planning point of view) of this project, which also plans the construction of a 5-star hotel and others.

According to the project’s implementation schedule, the final acceptance of the works of this new city is not scheduled until 2024. However, doubts remain regarding the funds injected by the parent company of International Investment Group UAE-Morocco.

At this rate, "Mehdia Sustainable City" risks suffering the same fate as several other mega-projects carried by investors from the Middle East that have remained at the model stage.