Morocco’s Fnideq Free Zone Set to Open, Boosting Northern Economy After Smuggling Crackdown

The city of Fnideq, hard hit by the government’s decision to close the border crossing to goods from Ceuta to end the smuggling trade, and by the closure of borders for health reasons, has long demanded an economic recovery plan. For several weeks, the inhabitants of the city had demonstrated to demand the reopening of the borders which had prevented thousands of cross-border workers from going to Ceuta.

According to a study by the Casablanca Morocco Chamber of Commerce, some 400,000 residents of the region lived off cross-border trade with Ceuta, which generated around 2 billion euros per year and 40,000 direct jobs in Morocco, according to data from the customs department of the northern zone.

To read: Morocco’s Fnideq Economic Zone Construction Reaches 50% Completion

The government has finally responded to the cry of the inhabitants of Fnideq by authorizing the creation of a "Fnideq Economic Activity Zone", in the form of a public limited company. The Agency for the Promotion and Development of the North has been tasked with designing and building the new free zone, which will be inaugurated in January, with the work to be completed by the end of the year. The project has been designed to promote the economic recovery of the northern region of Morocco, says El Foro de Ceuta.

Two zones will be realized by the project: the commercial zone which is ready and the industrial zone which will be installed south of the city. The project will be carried out on an area of 90 hectares, of which 10 hectares will accommodate 76 industrial buildings dedicated to import-export trade and light processing industry. This first phase of the project will cost 91.5 million dirhams, or nearly nine million euros.

To read: New Outlet Mall Project Launches Near Tetouan, Morocco for 2022 Opening

In addition, Tanger Med Zones (TMZ), the developer-developer, a subsidiary of the Tanger Med group, announced on Monday, November 22, the launch of an outlet project in the new commercial zone located between Tetouan and M’diq, which will be operational by April 2022. The project also aims to develop the tourist offer of the region.