The regional offer and investment incentives in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region

The IMEX-Madrid 2025 trade fair hosted the event ‘Doing Business in Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region’ organised by the Regional Investment Centre of the Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceima Region and the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceima and Nador, with the aim of showcasing business opportunities in the territory of northern Morocco. 

The main speaker on the panel entitled ‘The territorial offer and incentives for investment in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region’ was Noussaira El Harrak, Project Manager and Head of Territorial Offer and Promotion for the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region. 

Noussaira El Harrak pointed out that, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, Morocco is the most competitive country in North Africa and the second largest recipient of investment on the African continent and, within the Moroccan kingdom, the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region is the gateway to Africa and is a dynamic territory in full development, a ‘centre of competitiveness at the national level with international projection’. 

Noussaira El Harrak pointed out that it is the third region in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the second national industrial centre with aspirations to be the first, as well as the leading national car manufacturer. It also has the largest port in the Mediterranean and in Africa, three international airports, a high-speed train, a 2,300-kilometre motorway network linking the north of Morocco with the rest of the country and two coastlines, all of which adds value to the region. Another added value for Noussaira El Harrak is that 80% of the population in the area is Spanish-speaking, something that helps to attract Spanish investment. 

To this we must add the attractive incentives offered by the New Investment Charter, the regional investment fund NORDEV and the stable legal framework for investment. 

The Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region is key in industrial terms and also occupies the top national position in car manufacturing. The region accounts for 53% of the cars produced in Morocco, with 380,000 vehicles manufactured per year by several multinationals such as Renault and PSA Peugeot, as explained by the head of Project and Territorial Offer and Promotion of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region.

In other areas, the region also has two zones dedicated to the textile sector, with 400 companies and 120,000 jobs. 

There is also potential for agro-industrial development driven by the Loukkos agropolo. ‘We have 80% of the red fruit production,’ said Noussaira El Harrak. 

In addition, the official highlighted the important port of Tangier Med and the MEDZ logistics area located on the same platform. 

Noussaira El Harrak also indicated that Morocco has signed more than 62 free trade agreements with various countries, which means more than 2 billion consumers worldwide. 

El Harrak explained that the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region is a privileged tourist destination with 370 tourist establishments, with different hotel chains established there. Something that will be further boosted by the organisation of the Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup. 

The head of the Territorial Offer and Promotion Project for the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region also pointed out that 730,000 hectares are available for agriculture and 18 fishing ports. She also emphasised that the aquaculture sector is in full development with 25 production units. 

Noussaira El Harrak emphasised the boom in the offshoring sector with the new Tetouan Shore centre and wanted to highlight the renewable energy sector with five wind farms in the region producing 400 MW.

The head of Project and Territorial Offer and Promotion for the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region spoke of a very complete territorial offer and a welcoming platform with 13 operational industrial economic zones, four industrial acceleration zones and eight multisectoral industrial zones, and highlighted the Mohammed VI City as a smart city with 27 multinational companies from various sectors already established.

He also emphasised that human capital is very important with foreign schools, public vocational training and public university education also available to all those who want to set up in the region, which has a new state-of-the-art vocational training model with nine vocational centres. 

Furthermore, the New Investment Charter provides a framework of incentives with non-repayable funding for investors who want to set up in the region. For companies that offer 150 jobs or an investment of 5 million euros and the generation of 50 jobs. 

For investment projects of more than 2 billion dirhams (almost 200 million euros) Morocco can provide financing of 30% of the investment. 

Noussaira El Harrak emphasised that there is a special regime with exemption from VAT and corporation tax for the first five years, which is undoubtedly very attractive for investors. 

In addition, the Regional Investment Centre of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region has a one-stop shop, including a digital one, to carry out the various procedures for setting up a business and also offers support at all stages of the business's establishment. ‘Morocco treats domestic and foreign investors in the same way, with the same support and the same documentation requirements,’ explained Noussaria El Harrak. 

Hasna Benyaich, Senior Manager of Business Development at Tanger Med Zones, explained the great boom in the Tanger Med area, which is the leading port in the Mediterranean and Africa with a volume of 187 million tonnes, 11.44 million TEU containers, 25 bulk cargo container terminals and a consolidated turnover of 1,021 million euros. 021 million euros in consolidated turnover. 

The Tanger Med Special Agency group is in charge of managing the entire complex, which includes the port of Tanger Med, which is the 19th largest port in the world and has a strategic location in the Strait of Gibraltar with a traffic of 100,000 ships, and MedHub with 200 hectares of logistics area, among other centres. 

It is the leading industrial platform in Africa, with nine activity zones and 3,000 hectares in developed areas. There are 1,400 companies operating there, with 130,000 employees and a turnover of 15.82 billion euros. 

Hasna Benyaich emphasised that the port of Tangier Med is connected to more than 180 ports and 70 countries, placing Morocco among the 20 most important countries in the maritime sector. This makes it the most important port in the Mediterranean and in Africa. 

Chakir Bouatia, Development Director at MEDZ, emphasised in his speech that his organisation is dedicated to creating industrial zones throughout Morocco, with more than 20 years of service for territorial development. Precisely, in those more than 20 years of experience they have developed 25 industrial activity zones in Morocco. 

The panel on the territorial offer and investment incentives in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region ended with a presentation of the success stories of companies that are well established in the territory, with the participation of Charo Arnáiz, director of Endesa's Production Division for Portugal and Morocco, and Juan Antonio Vidal, manager of the company Incom Composits Morocco. 

Charo Arnáiz emphasised that new investors in Morocco have a multitude of infrastructures available to them and can use success stories such as Endesa as a reference, the company that decided to invest in Tangiers because ‘we always believed in the project’. 

For his part, Juan Antonio Vidal said that ‘you have to be in Morocco and bet on talent’. ‘I am the only expatriate, the rest of the employees are Moroccan citizens, with more than 200 employees in the five years we have been here,’ explained Juan Antonio Vidal, who invited everyone to “invest in Morocco.” “You have to get through the learning stage and survive,” explained the head of Incom Composits Morocco.