Ahmed Bennis: ‘The business parks in Tangier Med Zones have enabled the creation of more than 130,000 direct jobs’

Tangier Med is a key infrastructure in the revitalisation of the economy in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region. Ahmed Bennis, managing director of Tangier Med Zones, reviewed with Atalayar the milestones and key factors that have led this port to become one of the most important in the Mediterranean.

The results of Tangier Med have been spectacular. What stands out about this process that has led it to become the gateway between Africa and Europe?

The Tangier Med project is driven by the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, which has enabled us to achieve our current results, a strategic position in the world that is also a responsibility, because it has allowed us to increase the competitiveness of trade with our partners and strengthen the infrastructure that is being created so that companies based in Morocco can respond as best as possible to their customers.

We must maintain this continuous development in order to serve global value chains: the port of Tangier Med is a transhipment hub that serves the region's economy and is an extremely important port platform for the African continent. We are the largest hub in Africa and the Mediterranean, and the gateway to the African economy.

The industrial platform and its eight special economic zones constitute a complex of more than 3,000 hectares where more than 1,400 companies are working. What role does Tangier Med Zones play in boosting the region's economy, particularly in sectors such as automotive, aeronautics, textiles, renewable energies, logistics...?

Tangier Med is an integrated project that includes the development of port and logistics infrastructure that is part of global value chains. But it is also a fairly dense industrial complex, with a land reserve of around 5,000 hectares, of which 3,000 are currently operational, hosting 1,400 companies, both international and Moroccan, operating in different sectors.

Of course, the automotive, aeronautics, agro-industry, textile and many other sectors of activity have had a major social impact. These business parks and companies have created more than 130,000 direct jobs. The impact is above all on the development of a competitive and efficient industrial ecosystem, which simply enables Morocco and its companies to develop within global value chains.

What advantages and facilities do Moroccan and international companies have when they set up in these zones?

There are four key factors that represent the competitive advantages we offer companies located in our various zones. The first factor is the quality of the infrastructure. Today, the infrastructure we have developed meets international standards and allows these companies to set up in excellent conditions, on a par with what they are used to in their country of origin, whether in Europe, the United States or Asia.

The second factor, which is also very decisive, is the quality of the workforce. Today, Tangier Med Morocco is providing a skilled Moroccan workforce to support this industrial development, which is quite competitive. With the advent of this technological acceleration, we must also support investors who are more demanding in terms of technology than in terms of labour.

The third factor, which is no less important, is the one-stop shop we have created. It allows us to create this direct proximity with these investors, understand their needs and respond to their expectations as effectively as possible. Of course, it also allows us to streamline and facilitate administrative and customs procedures. And our credo is: focus on developing your business and we will take care of everything else.

And the fourth factor is our comprehensive real estate offering, which also allows us to integrate industrial, logistics and port activities. So this global integration and the synergies we have developed now benefit these companies and, above all, create competitiveness at various levels and make our platform increasingly attractive to foreign investors.

Your clients include companies from various countries. How important are Spanish companies in the special economic zones and how would you encourage them to set up in Tangier Med?

We have investors from Asia, the United States and Europe. The number one investor in our business parks, and this may surprise you a little, is Japan, followed by North America. Europeans occupy third and fourth place. Spanish investors are among the top five in terms of investment origin. But what I would like to highlight is the special partnership we have with these Spanish companies, and I think we need to analyse this because, together with our Spanish partners, we form a competitive bloc. Our goal is to continue helping these Spanish companies develop. We are here to make these Spanish companies even more competitive, as part of a win-win partnership. 

Today, if you want to position yourself in global industrial value chains, you need an increasingly strong regional partnership. And that is what we are trying to do with the various Spanish companies. We are 14 kilometres from Spain, with port links to three Spanish ports: Barcelona, Motril and Algeciras. So, in terms of logistical competitiveness, together we can be even stronger if we want to position ourselves in global industrial value chains and respond as best as possible to customer expectations.

What role does Tangier Med Zones play in boosting the region's economy?

We have different companies operating in different sectors of activity, although the automotive sector is very predominant and accounts for 75% of turnover.

The companies based in our business parks have exceeded 16 billion dollars in turnover, with the automotive sector alone exceeding 10 billion dollars. So there is an automotive ecosystem that today brings together a car manufacturer, Renault, and first, second and third tier equipment manufacturers. We also have local companies, companies in the region that operate directly or indirectly with this ecosystem. They are service providers, people who create direct and indirect jobs, and that is why there is now a real social and economic dynamic in the region to support the development of these different sectors. The same is true for the automotive, aeronautics, textile and agro-industrial sectors, so the impact on the region is extremely important, not only in terms of job creation, but above all in terms of linking economic areas to the development of the local economy.

Given the success of this model and the large number of companies you are attracting, are you considering expanding Tangier Med? What are your plans for the future?

Obviously, this is an ongoing development, so we are part of a dynamic in which we have to respond to the demands of the various investors who want to set up in our country and who also want to benefit from the advantages that Tangier Med offers today in terms of geographical location and other factors. We have expansion projects planned, particularly in Tangier Automotive City. We have the Tangier Tech zone, which is being developed with our Chinese partner and is currently in the development phase.
So we have several projects underway to meet the needs not only of large companies and international businesses, but also of local industry and SMEs. Some projects will be announced soon, but the aim is to maintain the same pace of development, and even accelerate it, in order to better meet the expectations of our investors.

Finally, what social work does the Tangier Med Foundation do?

What makes us even more proud as the Tangier Med Group is this very important social aspect, which is supported by the Tangier Med Foundation.

The Foundation's activities focus on four key areas. First, there is education, where we are making a sustained effort to renovate schools, build new schools and support deserving pupils and students in the region. There are also a number of projects in the health sector that we have carried out in conjunction with the local authorities, and whose work has enabled us to respond to the needs of these disadvantaged populations. Then there is the social and cultural aspect, which is the third area in which the foundation is very active, and finally, above all, social inclusion. Our projects are carried out in a region where there is considerable social disparity: we work together with local authorities and our various partners to achieve social inclusion and integration with the local population. The Tangier Med Foundation has carried out more than 1,136 projects, benefiting no fewer than 650.000 people.