Mohammed Jaouad Arsalane: ‘The organisation of the 2030 World Cup between Morocco, Spain and Portugal will create multiple business opportunities’

The CGEM is the voice of the business sector in Morocco before social partners and institutions, representing more than 90,000 members, 95% of which are small and medium-sized enterprises. Atalayar interviewed Mohammed Jaouad Arsalane, representative of the CGEM in northern Morocco. 

Morocco is the guest of honour at this year's IMEX Madrid 2025 trade fair. What does it mean for the organisation you represent to have the opportunity to showcase itself to Spanish businesspeople and promote trade relations? 

The Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region I represent is in a privileged position, both because of its location and its proximity to Spain. We have been doing business with Spain for many decades because there are countless advantages: the ease of the language and the proximity of two cultures that are quite similar. For us, it is an opportunity to further enhance the value of our region, which is very accessible for doing business, very stable and offers many opportunities and facilities for Spanish companies that want to set up there.  

Morocco is already home to more than a thousand Spanish companies with investments exceeding 2 billion euros. More than 20,000 jobs have been created in strategic sectors. What can be done to further improve this relationship between two such important trading partners as Spain and Morocco?  

I would like to remind you that Spain is currently our leading supplier and our leading customer and, as you said, it is investing even more: it has moved up from sixth to fourth place. The relationship between Spain and our country is getting better and better, thanks to the excellent relations between the two countries, both from a political point of view and in terms of education, culture and other areas. What we are doing is making it even easier for dialogue between companies that want to set up in Morocco and the institutional entities that exist. For example, there is the Chamber of Commerce, which can also greatly facilitate the establishment of these companies in northern Morocco. So the aim is to create a business climate that is very favourable to Spanish companies that want to try setting up in our region.  

What role do the significant tax advantages, the new Investment Charter and the activity of regional investment centres such as Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima play? 

A very important role. Just as there is infrastructure that helps a lot, such as the port of Tangier Med and the high-speed train, which takes you to Casablanca, the economic capital of Morocco, in two hours. In addition, the co-organisation of the 2030 World Cup between us, you and Portugal creates multiple business opportunities. There are large Spanish groups investing in the construction of seawater desalination plants and also in all the infrastructure and mega-infrastructure that will be built in the coming years to prepare for the 2030 World Cup. 

This World Cup, as you say, will be a turning point to take us one step further. A lot of infrastructure, stadiums and communications will need to be built to accommodate the thousands of fans who will travel to see the matches. Will this be a very important showcase for Morocco? 

Yes, yes, a showcase for Morocco and also an opportunity for companies that want to invest in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region. There are many facilities that we have already tried and tested over many years and which are now bearing fruit. For any Spanish company that wants to invest in northern Morocco, it is much easier now than it was 30 or 40 years ago. With all the advantages that exist now, we must take advantage of these mega-contracts and new opportunities that are being created and have already been created, and invest in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region.