Speaking during the monthly plenary session of the House of Representatives devoted to general policy issues, relating to “basic infrastructure as a lever for economic and social development”, Mr. Akhannouch noted that this priority is part of the an ambitious societal project and a clear and global vision based on the balance between the economic and social dimensions, while guaranteeing territorial justice.
Major strategic infrastructure projects represent one of the most salient aspects of the modernization and development experienced by the Kingdom under the reign of His Majesty the King, he added, noting that these projects constitute a lever for all ambitious sectoral and development strategies, thus allowing Morocco to position itself as a leader on a continental and regional scale in this area.
In this regard, Mr. Akhannouch recalled that Morocco occupied first place in Africa in terms of infrastructure development, with a score of 85.8%, according to the African Governance Index 2024, published at the end of last October. .
The Tangier Med port now occupies first place in the Mediterranean basin and in Africa as the largest container port, noted the head of government, highlighting the major and diversified achievements in the fields of infrastructure, which define the contours of Morocco today and tomorrow.
In figures, he spoke of the progress made by Morocco in 25 years in terms of construction and modernization of infrastructure, with a motorway network having increased from 80 km in 1999 to 1,800 km currently. The Kingdom also occupies 16th place in the world in terms of density and quality of its roads, with nearly 58,000 km, including 2,164 km of expressways, and a rate of asphalt roads of around 80%.
In addition, added Mr. Akhannouch, 2,309 km of railway lines have been built, including 200 km of high-speed lines and 64% of electrified lines, while the number of airports increased from 15 in 1999 to 25 today. today, including 19 international airports spread across the Kingdom.
The number of ports has increased from 24 in 1999 to 43 currently, including 14 multi-purpose commercial ports, 22 fishing ports and 7 marinas, he continued, specifying that the number of dams has increased from 95 in 1999 to 154 large dams currently, with a capacity exceeding 20 billion cubic meters.
Mr. Akhannouch underlined that, as part of this ambitious futuristic vision, the Executive has, since its inauguration, launched several major infrastructure projects in various areas, aimed at strengthening Morocco’s accessibility and facilitating its territorial integration. via a logistics network that complies with international standards.
In this sense, he welcomed the international rankings which place Morocco at the top of African and Arab countries in terms of quality of infrastructure, thus strengthening its competitiveness and attractiveness on a national and international scale.
Regarding road infrastructure, Mr. Akhannouch affirmed that the government is working on the execution of several investment programs concerning double-lane roads, by accelerating the construction of the Tiznit-Dakhla expressway, 1,055 km long, with its 16 works of art, for a total cost of 8.8 billion dirhams. This project will strengthen the socio-economic influence of the southern provinces, he indicated.
In addition, he indicated that a prospective vision for 2030 has been put in place to notably accelerate construction work on the Berrechid-Tit Mellil axis, at a cost of 2.5 billion dirhams, and the tripling of the Casablanca-Berrechid axis, specifying that the planning of the construction project of the Rabat-Casablanca continental highway was carried out, for an investment of 6 billion dirhams, and that linking Guercif to Nador for an investment of 7 billion dirhams.
These projects aim to strengthen connectivity in the Oriental region and connect the new port of Nador West Med to the national highway network, with significant impacts on trade and the tourism sector, underlined the head of government.
In terms of rail transport, Mr. Akhannouch indicated that the government is working to extend the Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed line, over 430 km at a cost of 53 billion dirhams, with a connection to the airports of Rabat and Casablanca. This line will later extend from Marrakech to Agadir over 240 km, he explained.
For air transport, he recalled that the improvement of the airport network, coupled with the implementation of the tourism roadmap, made it possible to achieve air traffic records with 27.1 million passengers in 2023 compared to 25.1 million in 2019, noting that during the first nine months of 2024, a new record of 24.3 million passengers was recorded, an increase of 19.7% compared to the same period last year.
In the wake of this dynamic, the Executive has developed a plan aimed at doubling air transport capacity as part of the 2023-2026 roadmap for the tourism sector, continued the head of government, adding that the said plan provides for the launch of more than 32 new airlines, offering a total capacity of 250,000 seats.
These measures, according to Mr. Akhannouch, have made it possible to reduce the isolation of several Moroccan regions and to give a strong boost to the tourism sector, reaching 14.5 million visitors in 2023, up 34% compared to 2022, and generating 104 billion dirhams in travel revenue.
This dynamic was confirmed in 2024, with the arrival in the Kingdom of 15.9 million tourists until the end of November, thus exceeding the total number of visitors from the previous year.
In this context marked by this positive dynamic, the Executive is working to expand the reception capacity of the various airports to reach 80 million passengers by 2030, against 38 million currently, he said, explaining that extension and equipment work is underway at the airports of Rabat-Salé, Tétouan and Al Hoceima Chérif El Idrissi, in addition to developments at the airports of Fez, Tangier, Marrakech, Béni Mellal, Zagora and Nador.
And added that as part of the preparations for the organization of the 2030 World Cup, the Mohammed V international airport will be modernized and expanded to receive 23.3 million passengers by this date, noting that it This involves the construction of a third runway and the strengthening of the existing terminal with new facilities.
Likewise, the capacity of Marrakech airport will be increased to accommodate 14 million passengers by 2030, thanks to the improvement and doubling of the surface area of its terminal, as well as the extension of the area waiting for planes, argued the head of government.
Along the same lines, the government will renew Agadir airport in order to strengthen its reception capacity to reach 6.3 million passengers by 2030, thanks to the rehabilitation and expansion of the current terminal, as well as “to improve external infrastructure,” continued Mr. Akhannouch.
Regarding maritime transport, he stressed that the government is aware of the importance of port infrastructure for the national economy, the majority of Morocco’s foreign trade being carried out by sea, which constitutes a lever of economic integration.
He explained that, in accordance with the High Directions of His Majesty the King, the Executive continues the development of the maritime connectivity network through the construction of numerous ports such as that of Nador West Med, at a cost of 11.56 billion dirhams. , and whose work should be completed in the first months of 2025, as well as the advancement of the new Dakhla Atlantique port, with an investment of nearly 13 billion dirhams.
At the same time, the government is working to expand several other ports to meet the growing demand for their services, notably in Jebha, Safi and Agadir, he said.
