Investment opportunities in the Sahara
Last week, Santander hosted one of the most established international forums on the Iberian Peninsula, the Global Youth Leadership Forum Spain in Santander, a forum that has been supported by the Spanish Royal Family since its inception and has been held continuously since 2016.
This year's edition of GYLF Spain was attended by a delegation from the Moroccan Sahara, which focused its interventions during the forum on the business and investment opportunities offered by the three regions of southern Morocco to foreign investors and entrepreneurs.
Last year's edition of this important forum, in which international delegations from five continents participated, already featured a first Moroccan delegation representing the Dakhla Oued Eddahab region, led by both the vice president of the Moroccan Chamber of Councillors and councillor for the same region, Yahfadouh Ben Mbarek, and the mayor of the city of Dakhla, the young Moroccan politician Erragueb Hormatollah.
In addition to the participation of representatives from the same region, this year's edition also saw the active participation of the mayor of Sidi Ifni, Rachid El Batah, representing the Guelmim Oued Noun region.
The organizers of this forum, in addition to scheduling several activities focused on the three regions of the Moroccan Sahara as a gateway to the markets of the African continent, took advantage of the presence of representatives from the city of Dakhla, the president of the Sahara Horizons organization, Fátima Bekkar, and the businessman and local leader Laaroussi Hameyen, to advance preparations for the first edition of the GYLF Africa forum, which will take place early next year in the Moroccan city of Dakhla, the future logistics and business platform of West Africa.
The president of the GYLF Spain forum, Jacobo Pombo, highlighted the importance of having a delegation from Morocco, particularly from the southern provinces of the country, insisting that: "In recent years, Morocco has become a leading nation on the African continent and a major player on the global geopolitical scene, a prosperous country with a solid economy that is generating significant business opportunities for foreign companies, mainly those from European countries.... It is very important for us to be able to strengthen ties with both public and private entities in this country, which is a friend and strategic partner of Spain, and since the first edition of the forum in 2016, we have always tried to have Moroccan guests... Having representatives from the three southern regions of Morocco this year has allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the historical, social, and economic evolution of these three regions. In fact, a few months ago, the members of our forum's executive committee, accompanied by businesspeople and politicians, had the opportunity to visit the city of Dakhla and see the important projects that are being undertaken there. For this reason, together with our Moroccan partners from the Sahara Horizons organization, we have decided that the first edition of the GYLF Africa forum will take place in this city.
According to the general director of the GYLF Spain forum, Giorgiana Martínezgarnelo y Calvo: “Without a doubt, the first edition of the forum on the African continent will be a great success. During our visit to the Dakhla region, we had the opportunity to meet with all the regional authorities, the president of the regional council, and the mayor of the city, who showed us their full support for the celebration of this international forum in their city.”
During the forum, organized from the 12th to the 17th of this month in Santander, two sessions were scheduled to address issues related to the southern provinces of Morocco. During the official opening of the forum, the coordinator of the Moroccan delegation and director of the GYLF Africa forum, Nourdine Mouati, emphasized Morocco's strategic position as a gateway to the African continent.
During his speech, the head of the GYLF Africa organization in DAKHLA highlighted the ties that bind Morocco to its continent, addressing the historical, religious, social, political, and economic ties that unite Morocco with the rest of the African countries and how it has become in recent years an example of prosperity and well-being for the countries around it.
He also discussed how Morocco is establishing itself as a platform for business development on the African continent, and how Spanish companies are taking advantage of this to gain access to complex African markets with the help of Moroccan companies and financial institutions.
He concluded his speech at the opening session by emphasizing the important role played by the regions of the Moroccan Sahara in the development of economic and trade ties with countries on the continent, mainly the Sahel countries. In this regard, the expert in Euro-African institutional and business cooperation highlighted the economic potential and investment opportunities in the three regions, namely Guelmim Oued Noun, Laayoune Sakia El Hamra, and Dakhla Oued Eddahab.
On Thursday 16, a forum session was scheduled exclusively for the regions of the Moroccan Sahara, entitled “Morocco, gateway to Africa: Dakhla and the Southern Provinces of Morocco as an example,” in which members of the Moroccan delegation participated. The session was moderated by Sonsoles Queipo de Llano Hevia, CEO of the Speranza agency.
Nourdine Mouati spoke again to give forum participants an overview of Morocco's global positioning in all areas and the role played by the southern regions of Morocco in the kingdom's strategic positioning at both the African and Atlantic levels.
Next to speak was Laaroussi Hamayen, a businessman from the city of Dakhla and representative of the Oulad Delim tribe, who gave an introduction to the history of the Moroccan Sahara and the historical ties that bind the tribes of these territories to the Moroccan monarchy. In his own words: “Centuries ago, our ancestors made a firm commitment of loyalty and fidelity to the Alawite dynasty, and thanks to this inalienable commitment, we have been able to resist all attempts to undermine the historical reality and territorial integrity of these three regions that form part of the Kingdom of Morocco.”
He continued his speech by focusing on the great advances in infrastructure and economic development that the regions of the Moroccan Sahara have experienced in the last 50 years after their restitution by Spain. In his opinion: “The effort undertaken by the state in the Sahara has been colossal. In Dakhla, for example, we have gone from being a desert area with hardly any buildings or infrastructure of any kind to being one of the most prosperous cities in Morocco, where investments exceeding billions of dirhams are being made.”
He devoted the last part of his speech to the excellent relations between the regions of the Moroccan Sahara and African countries: "The regions of southern Morocco are the border and the bridge between the Kingdom of Morocco and African countries, both in the Sahel region and in sub-Saharan Africa, with which we have historical ties. In my region, Dakhla Oued Eddahab, we welcome a large community of nationals from several African sister countries, which enriches us on a human and professional level.".
Next to speak was the councilor of the Dakhla City Council and president of the Sahara Horizons organization, Fatima Bekkar, who, after thanking the organizers for the invitation to the forum, addressed the following topics:
“Since 1975, when much of the territory of the Moroccan Sahara was recovered, these regions have undergone a major transformation in all areas, achieving significant levels of prosperity and well-being thanks to the new development model for the southern regions of Morocco promoted by His Majesty King Mohammed VI during the 40th anniversary of the Green March.”
“This new development model is based on the participation of the entire population of the three southern regions in both decision-making and the implementation of all structural and strategic projects, guaranteeing the participation of all within a framework of respect for the civil and political rights of each citizen and with a special interest in the integration of young people in decision-making and socioeconomic development processes.”
"As an example of the success of this new model of integrated and sustainable development for the southern provinces of Morocco, I would cite my city of Dakhla, the capital of the Dakhla Oued Eddahab region, which is one of the largest regions in the country, representing 20 percent of the kingdom's national territory with a total population of less than 250,000 inhabitants. It is a region rich in natural resources, fishing, mining, and renewable energy. Over the last ten years, the state has invested more than €4 billion in economic and social infrastructure. In the last two years, this investment has doubled, and several large-scale projects are currently underway in the region: the port of Dakhla Atlantic, with a logistics area of 1,650 hectares; the integrated intensive agricultural cultivation project covering 5,000 hectares in the middle of the desert, thanks to water supplied by a large seawater desalination plant; and many more.
“In terms of international politics, the Dakhla Oued Eddahab region represents the gateway to the African countries of the Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa. For this reason, the city of Dakhla is home to 20 official consulates of African countries that are actively involved in developing commercial and social ties between Morocco and their countries of origin.”
"In addition, Dakhla is home to a large community of students from other African countries who are pursuing their studies in both vocational training and at the city's business school. One of the most notable projects that has been developed in my city is the construction of the Mohammed VI University for Health Sciences, a pioneering center on the African continent that will train doctors, nurses, and health technicians from all countries on the continent on a scholarship basis."
He concluded his speech by inviting all participants in the GYLF Santander forum to come and discover the regions of the Moroccan Sahara and to take part in the next edition of GYLF Africa, which will take place in Dakhla.
The last member of the Moroccan delegation to speak was Rachid El Batah, mayor of the city of Sidi Ifni and vice president of the Moroccan Association of Community Council Presidents (association of mayors of Morocco).
The mayor focused his speech on the role that elected officials should play in bringing countries and regions closer together, citing as an example the twinning and cooperation projects being carried out by Moroccan municipalities on the African continent and inviting the elected officials present at the forum from both Spain and Latin America to initiate contacts with their Moroccan counterparts to promote joint initiatives on common problems and challenges.
He devoted the second part of his speech to highlighting the potential of the Guelmim Oued Noun region in terms of fishing, aquaculture, agriculture, renewable energy, and tourism, emphasizing the important role that the Moroccan monarchy has played and continues to play in the development of the southern regions, according to him: "The vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI regarding the new development model for the southern provinces of Morocco has been key to the Guelmim Oued Noun region's ability to attract such important projects as the green hydrogen production project in the Tan Tan area, a megaproject that is the first serious and viable green hydrogen production project on the entire African continent."
The mayor of Sidi Ifni also referred to his city and said that since its return to the mother country in 1969, it has been a key city in the development of the entire region, a city that he emphasized serves as a bridge for dialogue and shared development with several regions of Spain, mainly the Canary Islands region.
The mayor also discussed the cooperation projects that the city council has with cities in Spain, mentioning the collaboration project on tourism and sustainable management of architectural heritage with the City Council of Malagaand how this project has served to raise awareness of the rich Spanish-Moroccan architectural heritage of the city and its province in southern Spain.
Finally, as a member of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, the mayor outlined the benefits that co-hosting the 2030 World Cup will bring to the three countries and how this project is serving to strengthen the Kingdom of Morocco's ties with both Spain and Portugal.
At the end of his speech, taking advantage of the presence of an important Mexican delegation at the forum, he congratulated the three countries that will organize the 2026 World Cup, inviting all attendees to come and discover southern Morocco, its landscapes, its people, and its ancestral culture.
The participation of the delegation from the Moroccan Sahara regions culminated in the organization of a traditional Moroccan dinner in honor of all the participants of the GYLF Spain forum in Santander. The dinner was hosted by the mayor of the city of Dakhla, who, although unable to attend this year's event, wanted to show his support for it The dinner was also attended by political and business representatives from the region of Cantabria.
The next Global Youth Leadership Forum will take place in the Moroccan city of Dakhla. Several delegations from Africa, Europe, and Asia are expected to participate, but especially from the American continent, which will be represented by several countries from both the north and south of the continent.
