Akhannouch opens the Halieutis-Agadir National blue economy centre
- Halieutis in the Souss-Massa region: a national centre for the blue economy
- Halieutis 2025: a Moroccan initiative with an African voice
The President of the Government of Morocco, Aziz Akhannouch, has today, Wednesday in Agadir, in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, Ahmed El Bouari, and the Secretary of State for Maritime Fisheries, Zakia El Driouch, inaugurated the seventh edition of the Halieutis Exhibition, which will be open to professionals from the fishing sector, as well as the public, until 9 February 2025.
Organised under the high patronage of King Mohammed VI, Halieutis 2025 welcomes more than 523 exhibitors representing more than 54 countries, four of which are participating for the first time: South Korea, the United Kingdom, India and Oman.
This edition takes place in a context characterised by successive changes that the whole world is experiencing at a geopolitical, climatic and economic level. This has a strong impact on the fisheries sector in terms of governance, natural and human resources and biodiversity, among other challenges.
In this sense, the Fair is an interesting opportunity to debate these challenges and look for efficient solutions that serve to achieve the objectives of sustainable development and the conservation of the maritime wealth of the Moroccan kingdom in the face of the threats posed by climate change and the depletion of fishing resources.
Halieutis is also a key meeting point for Moroccan and foreign investors who aspire to invest in the sea fishing sector, aquaculture or sea-related industries; as well as being a crucial event for actors and professionals in the field to exchange experiences and consolidate partnerships.
With economic, socio-cultural and educational objectives, Halieutis is a fair that is also open to the public who aspire to explore the maritime world through the coastal regions of Morocco in its technological, biodiversity, environmental, equipment, valorisation and production processes dimensions. Given its international openness, visitors will discover the different specificities of the maritime sector in other countries, mainly African.
Halieutis in the Souss-Massa region: a national centre for the blue economy
The maritime fishing fair, as well as reflecting the national Halieutis strategy for the development of the sector, the seventh edition of the Show sheds new light on the Sus-Masa region as a national centre of the blue economy that is being consolidated along a 3,500-kilometre Atlantic-Mediterranean coastline rich in biodiversity and varied in its connectivity with foreign countries.
The region has significant maritime potential that contributes not only to the regional economy, but also to the national economy, with a view to strengthening its international competitiveness by generating wealth, improving employability and attracting more foreign direct investment.
With its strategic Atlantic coast and abundant maritime resources, the Sus-Masa region is the cornerstone of Morocco's blue economy. Thanks to thriving sectors such as sea fishing, aquaculture, coastal tourism and renewable energy, the region plays a central role in the sustainable development of the North African country.
In accordance with the 2022-2027 regional strategy, Sus-Masa aims to strengthen its position as an exemplary region in terms of the blue economy, acting as a strategic lever for the sustainable development of the region by reinforcing local skills and mobilising the private sector in the service of the prosperity of the different provinces that make up the area.
With the ambition of generating 1 trillion dirhams of investment in the blue economy by 2030, regional actors are calling, on the one hand, for the activation of public-private partnerships as a solution for financing projects capable of creating stable jobs. On the other hand, they underline the importance of attracting foreign investment aimed at creating new companies for the maritime and port industries.
In view of the achievements of Sus-Masa, the region is a land of opportunity for investors thanks to various factors such as:
- Recent advances in seawater desalination infrastructure.
- 180 km of Atlantic coastline and the great biodiversity of its maritime areas.
- The important fishing port in Agadir (54,046 tonnes).
- Nine landing points in Agadir, Imssouane, Imiouadar and Taghazout.
- The sector provides direct employment to 170,000 people and indirect employment to 490,000.
- 465 coastal fishing units, 216 deep-sea vessels and 1,450 small-scale fishing units for a regional GDP of 6% and a national GDP of 42%.
- Haliopolis Park, the first Moroccan business park dedicated to the development of seafood products, with a surface area of 150 hectares.
- A dynamic industrial fabric, concentrated mainly in the provinces and prefectures of Agadir - Ida Outanane, Tiznit and Inezgane - Aït Melloul.
Halieutis 2025: a Moroccan initiative with an African voice
On the occasion of the Halieutis Exhibition, the Alaouite kingdom reiterates its ambition to see Africa position itself as a leader in the global blue economy, capable of responding to contemporary environmental and economic challenges.
The sea fishing sector plays an important economic and social role in the Moroccan economy, but it is also a sine qua non lever in South-South cooperation with Africa, where Morocco is the world's leading fish producer and sardine exporter.
With the Halieutis plan, launched in 2009, Morocco has initiated a new dynamic in the marine fishing sector that seeks to ensure the sustainability of fishing resources, as well as to consolidate collaboration between the countries of the region in order to protect these maritime resources through multilateral cooperation.
The aim is to unite African countries in an inclusive dynamic based on efficient collaboration to preserve their fishing resources and develop a competitive fishing sector that serves the common interests of the African continent. In this vein, the Blue Belt Initiative (BBI), launched by Morocco, stands out for strengthening South-South cooperation in Africa's fishing sector.
For his part, King Mohammed VI has a vision of giving the Sahel countries access to the Atlantic as a unique initiative that reflects the country's desire to sustain solidarity and cooperation between the different African countries for the common good of all. With the Dakhla Atlantic Port, the royal initiative marks a strategic turning point for the African continent.
Morocco is constantly stepping up its efforts to inspire and encourage African countries to adopt a common vision for the blue economy, urging its partners to contribute to the consolidation of this cooperation, to the adoption of sustainable management practices and the use of innovation as a true engine of development essential for the fishing sector and a proactive approach as the best prevention of environmental threats.