The Green March: a continuous process towards progress in the Sahara
- The Sahara, land of the future
- Dajla: a space for growth and cooperation
- The dynamics of development are a reality
- Digital transition: inclusion and development in the southern provinces
In her opening speech at the 5th edition of MDSáhara, held in Dakhla from November 13 to 16, Souad Mekkaoui, founding president of the Forum, stated that the peaceful epic of the Green March was not a territorial conquest, but rather a spiritual, moral, and civilizational one.
“The Green March has not stopped; it continues, silently and serenely, towards development and progress for a Morocco united from Tangier to La Güera, with total respect for its integrity,” Mekkaoui said.
The Sahara, land of the future
The historic event of the Green March, according to Mekkaoui, is not only a glorious memory, but a living model of development, stability, and regional cooperation, which has made the Moroccan Sahara, under the wise leadership of King Mohammed VI, a land of the future and a space for projects and partnerships, with a promising Atlantic port, dynamic investment zones, excellent infrastructure, exchanges open to the world, and African roots.
The Moroccan Sahara is today a pole of stability, an African model of development, which makes the Kingdom a beacon with great ambitions to build a sovereign, bold, and united Africa in its diversity. In this sense, the Royal guidelines consolidate South-South Cooperation as a lever of solidarity and a driver of development for the entire continent based on co-development and complementarity.
The United Nations resolution reaffirming the credibility, seriousness, and relevance of the Moroccan proposal for autonomy and reinforcing the Sahara's definitive anchoring in its Moroccan identity is not only a diplomatic victory but also a factor of stability and a strong signal to investors, as well as a catalyst for the region's future development.
Dajla: a space for growth and cooperation
For his part, Yanja El Khattat, president of the Council of the Dajla Oued-Eddahab region, clarified that "since 1975, another kind of march has begun in the southern provinces, a march of development and integration, led by King Mohamed VI. This peaceful march has become a model of success, where political stability, massive investment, and economic ambition combine to profoundly transform the region into a true space for growth and cooperation."
“Dajla is today one of the most successful showcases of this transformation. The Cumulative investments exceed 100 billion dirhams and translate into sustained growth, exemplary sectoral diversification, and the emergence of a solid and resilient regional economy,” added El Khattat.
According to him, the city of Dakhla is no longer merely a southern territory, but has established itself as a continental, Afro-Atlantic, and interregional hub, a meeting point between North and South, between Europe, West Africa, and Latin America.
In this way, the region is positioning itself as a player in regional openness, as well as a space for the convergence of African value chains, whether in agribusiness, renewable energies, fisheries, processing industries, or digital services.
"The inclusion of Dakhla in the Afro-Atlantic axis, driven by the royal vision, further reinforces this vocation, within the framework of a broad space that brings together the countries of Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, capable of turning Dakhla into a strategic axis, a geopolitical platform where maritime routes, trade flows, new alliances, and investment opportunities intersect," concluded Yanja El Khattat.
The dynamics of development are a reality
Nizar Baraka, Minister of Equipment and Water, stressed that the dynamics of development in the southern provinces were an ambition that had become a reality, thanks to the large public and foreign direct investments being made, citing the main advances the region has experienced followed by future objectives:
· Launching the Tiznit-Dajla dual carriageway, which today covers 1,055 kilometers, after its completion in January 2025.
· Completing the Smara-Amgala route.
· Completing 50% of the construction of the Atlantic Port, which will be ready in 2028 to integrate the Sahel countries.
· In addition to a heavy industry and processing port, an energy port has been added with the possibility of exporting green hydrogen, thanks to the players who have begun to invest in this field, specifically in the Dakhla region.
· Create a major logistics zone in Dakhla, but also in Guerguerat.
· Make Dakhla a model for seawater desalination using wind energy, which is the cheapest in the world.
· Dakhla is already prepared for the reuse of wastewater to meet the development needs of green spaces and roads.
· Make Dakhla an institute for applied research and development in the field of water.
· Achieve 100% access to drinking water for the population in the southern regions and 80% guaranteed irrigation.
Digital transition: inclusion and development in the southern provinces
Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government for Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, presented the programs promoted by the ministry for vocational training in digital fields:
1. JobInTech, the project launched last year, aims to integrate 14,000 people into the workforce by 2027 throughout Morocco, through a 3- to 6-month training cycle on technologies that are in high demand in the job market. Since the launch of the JobInTech program, 1,000 people have been trained, according to data from the minister, 97% of whom have entered the job market.
2. The Jazari institutes, whose first class is being launched in Dakhla. These are physical spaces that will bring together university students, researchers, and entrepreneurs to develop digital solutions adapted to the region. Created in collaboration with the CDG and Maroc Cluster numérique, the Jazari Institute focuses on artificial intelligence, energy transition, and administrative reform.
3. Launching Africa's first 500 MW data center in Dakhla last July. This is a large-scale hyperscale data project, powered 100% by local renewable energy. The aim is to combine digital sovereignty, energy transition, and sustainable innovation.
Amal El Fallah recalled that Morocco is making great efforts to improve connectivity in the different regions of the Kingdom through strong telecommunications networks, noting that 5G has been active since November 7 in 50 Moroccan cities, including Dakhla and Laayoune.
“With the widespread availability of this connectivity, we are trying to bring citizens closer to the administration through, among other things, electronic and digital services,” said Seghrouchni, giving the example of e-health (or telemedicine), which guarantees the ability to treat people anywhere, with the aim of bringing hospitals, administration, and education closer to citizens.
MDSáhara 2025 also featured the participation of Seddik Maâninou, journalist and writer, former director of TVM and former secretary general of the Ministry of Communication, who analyzed the epic Green March through royal speeches.
For his part, Mohamed Maradji, photographer of the Three Kings, recounted the most powerful moments of the Green March through an exhibition of the most notable photos as a national memory.