CTo be in any good story, there is a vision. That of a king who understood above all the world that grandeur is not measured at the size of the country, but to the ambition he cultivates. So he traced the path of Morocco with a number of structuring projects. We will cite two very emblematic: first, the Tangier Med port complex, leader in Africa and the Mediterranean, which treated 10,241,392 EVP containers in 2024.
Then, Al Boraq, this high -speed train which links Tangier to Casablanca and which, at the time of its launch in 2018, had aroused more sighs than applause in certain circles. “Too expensive,” said some. “Not priority,” assured the others. But the figures ended up silencing the Cassandres: 5.5 million travelers in 2024 (+6%) for a turnover of 780 MDH (+11% compared to 2023).
Performances that make Al Boraq a symbol of modernity and national pride. Today, the kingdom pushes ambition a notch further. Kenitra-Marrakech: This is the next stopover in modernity. A structuring project of 53 billion dirhams, for 430 kilometers of lines at 350 km/h, which will reduce the Tangier-Marrakech journey to 2:40 (instead of 5h), and will connect Rabat to Mohammed V airport in 35 minutes.
In total, the railway program initiated amounts to 96 billion dirhams, including the acquisition of 168 trains and the development of three metropolitan networks in the agglomerations of Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech. Beyond the figures, there is clairvoyance. That of King Mohammed VI, who does not conceive of infrastructure as a simple ribbon to be cut in front of the cameras, but as a spine for economic development, a weapon for territorial inclusion and a lever for competitiveness. In this, the LGV is not just a train. It is a link between the ambitions of modernity of a country and the expectations of a people.
The CAN 2025 – World 2030 effect
In this decor of major works, there are two dates that flash like stars in the economic sky of the kingdom: 2025 and 2030. The organization of the African Cup of Nations, then that of how symbolic of the World Cup co-organized with Spain and Portugal, are not only sporting events.
These are development accelerators. Economic catalysts. Urban modernization, extension of airport infrastructure (new airport in Casablanca, enlargement of those of Marrakech, Tangier, Fez and Rabat …), renovation of the stadiums of Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, Fez, Tangier and Agadir … Nothing is left to chance. This effervescence does not only benefit large international groups. It also opens up real boulevards to Moroccan companies, especially in the construction, engineering, civil engineering, design, home automation or even maintenance sectors.
The banking sector, too, will see its outstanding credits explode thanks to the financing of structuring projects. As for telecoms, they will benefit from the explosion of voice/ data traffic and the rise of 5G. Morocco has understood this: there will be a lot of people to satisfy. This is why, moreover, players in the tourism sector are on the war foot. Tourism is often the first showcase in a country. And Morocco has decided to polish it as a jewel.
In 2024, 17.4 million visitors walked the kingdom’s soil, an increase of 20% compared to 2023, and 35% better than in 2019, year before Cavid. A feat which, rightly, is jubilant the tutelage whose objective 2030 is well circumscribed: to integrate the top 15 of world destinations with 26 million tourists and generate 120 billion dirhams of revenue and 200,000 additional jobs.
Gray clouds
All this is very exhilarating. But the horizon is not completely cleared. First cloud: water deficit. Even if there is a slight better in recent weeks, Morocco has faced a structural drought, with a fall of 58% of water resources. Agriculture, which still weighs 13% of GDP and occupies 40% of the working population, sorting and remains the Achilles heel of an economy that struggles to turn away from the sky.
For the 2024-2025 campaign, the cereal harvest is estimated at 44 million quintals, an increase of 41% compared to the previous year, but this is still insufficient. So, to deal with water stress, the kingdom is moving. No less than 143 billion dirhams are already mobilized for the national program for supplying drinking water and irrigation. And desalination becomes one of the key options, with 15 stations already in place and a super-user under construction in Casablanca, fed 100% by renewable energies.
Second cloud: unemployment, especially among young people. In 2024, despite the creation of 82,000 jobs, the number of unemployed increased by 58,000 people to reach 1.64 million. The national unemployment rate increased to 13.3%, that of young people aged 15-24 to 36.7%and that of graduates at 19.6%. An insoluble equation as long as growth does not last exceeding 6%, the necessary threshold, depending on the projections of the new development model, to absorb job demand. The government is trying to act: 12 billion dirhams for a new roadmap for employment, insertion assistance programs (Idmaj, Awrach, Ana Moukawil …), targeted support for young people and women … but the results are slow to be felt.
Suddenly, the popular feeling remains gloomy. This is the whole paradox. We have a two -speed economy. On the one hand, there is a dynamic carried by planetary sporting events, with proactive public policies and large investments in huge structuring projects. On the other, there is a real economy still engaged by fragility and structural weaknesses. From then on, if the CAN 2025 and the 2030 World Cup are boosters, they will not solve everything. The Moroccan economy will have, at one time or another, to rethink its matrix to less depend on rain agriculture and further develop non -agricultural GDP.
However, we agree with one thing: Morocco is not stopped. He moves. He invests. He takes risks. He dreams big. Under the impetus of the sovereign, he has legitimate ambitions to modernize and develop. And just that is already huge. The rest ? The rest will depend on the capacity of the cars to follow the locomotive. Consistency between strategic vision and local execution. Of the connection between the leading elite and the citizens. Because it is not enough that the train leaves on time, it is still necessary that everyone gets up there.
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