Morocco Plans Massive Logistics Hub Near Casablanca Ahead of 2030 World Cup

Improving infrastructure and supporting economic activity in the Casablanca-Settat region, which will also see the establishment of industrial zones similar to Zenata, in the Mohammédia region, Laghdira, in the El Jadida province, as well as Had Soualem, in the Berrechid province. This is the objective pursued by the authorities of the region by embarking on the construction of a logistics area in the commune of Ouled Saleh, in the province of Nouaceur. This project was approved by the Council of the Casablanca-Settat region, during the extraordinary session held last Thursday.

The authorities of the Casablanca-Settat region have already proceeded to the release of a 70-hectare plot of land, for the development of this logistics area, for an estimated budget of around 550 million dirhams. This project is expected to generate around 1,400 direct jobs, with a total planned investment of 1.7 billion dirhams. This logistics area is part of a partnership agreement between the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, the Casablanca-Settat region, the Casablanca-Settat Regional Council, the Casablanca Urban Agency, the Nouaceur province, the Oulad Saleh Communal Council, the Moroccan Agency for the Development of Logistics Activities and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM).

The project is, however, facing a major difficulty: some owners refuse to cede the land concerned. To solve this problem, the initial price of transfer of this land, intended for the Moroccan Agency for the Development of Logistics Activities, previously set at 130 dirhams per square meter, was revised to 200 dirhams after the interventions of the officials of the commune of Oulad Saleh with the Ministry of the Interior, reports Hespress. The issue has even reached the Moroccan Parliament. And the Moroccan Agency responsible for the realization of this major economic project has then been forced to pay a compensation of 2,000 dirhams per square meter for surface damage, as well as 1,000 dirhams for sheet metal constructions, in addition to compensation for plantations and other affected elements.