Nador West Med Enters a New Phase: After the Berths, the Port Is Now Preparing Its Teams

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) published a tender on Thursday, 10 September, entitled “TC2 Capacity Building Programme for Nador West Med.” Interested firms have until 16 October 2026 to submit their applications on the EBRD procurement platform.

This contract does not concern the construction of new berths. It covers a capacity-building programme intended to prepare the operations of the Nador West Med complex and the industrial and logistics zones of Betoya surrounding it.

Its launch is particularly significant in light of the timetable. Nador West Med is due to enter service in the fourth quarter of 2026, even though the 104-kilometre motorway intended to connect it to Guercif will not be fully completed until 2029.

On Bladi.net : Nador West Med to open in late 2026, but its motorway to Guercif will not be completed until 2029

The new tender thus provides concrete evidence of the gradual transition from the construction phase to operational preparation. Nador West Med is no longer working solely on its breakwaters, berths and terminals: the complex is also preparing the skills and organisation required for its operation.

After the berths, Nador West Med prepares to operate

This programme had been included in the financing granted in March 2025 by the EBRD to Betoya Industrial and Logistic Zone, a subsidiary of Nador West Med. At the time, the European institution released a €110 million loan, accompanied by several international grants, to develop the economic zone located near the port.

The operation is notably intended to finance industrial and logistics platforms, a desalination plant, two wastewater treatment stations and less energy-intensive public lighting. Technical assistance is also planned for the digitisation of the zone, the creation of an automated one-stop shop for investors and skills development.

The new contract now implements this last component. It involves selecting a provider specialising in support and training, rather than directly recruiting the port’s future employees. The notice does not yet specify the number of people concerned or the occupations that will be covered.

The timetable is in line with the orientations presented in January at a meeting chaired by King Mohammed VI. The monarch had called for training programmes to be accelerated so that young people in the region could benefit from the jobs created by this project representing 51 billion dirhams in investment.

On Bladi.net : 51 billion dirhams and 50,000 jobs: Morocco’s incredible bet with Nador West Med

The first container terminal is due to begin operations before the end of the year. In the long term, the complex is expected to combine container transshipment, industrial and logistics activities, as well as a major energy hub. Tens of thousands of jobs are expected to be created around the site by 2035.

Nador West Med will nevertheless have to contend with an incomplete motorway connection. Construction of the route to Guercif will continue for several years after the opening, with part of the work having been awarded to the Chinese group CRBC for more than 1.82 billion dirhams.

The tender published by the EBRD nevertheless confirms that preparations are no longer limited to infrastructure. With only a few months remaining before the announced deadline, Nador West Med is also beginning to put in place the human and organisational framework essential to welcoming its first commercial operations.