Morocco Industrial Acceleration Zones
Morocco has introduced Industrial Acceleration Zones (formerly industrial free trade zones) to attract foreign investment and boost economic activity. These zones, scattered across the country, host major industrial and service operators. The rebranding reflects Morocco's strategic vision to enhance its regional and continental positioning. Operators in these zones benefit from tax optimization and other financial advantages, contributing to increased profitability and cash flow. The new name aims to dispel misconceptions about these zones, highlighting their role in promoting job creation and value addition. Before exploring specific zones, it's essential to understand the benefits these export platforms offer.
Free trade zones in Morocco offer several advantages:
- Tax Advantages: Companies operating in Industrial Acceleration Zones benefit from a corporate tax rate of 15%, aligning with international standards while remaining attractive for new businesses.
- Tolerance for Local Sales: Since 2018, companies in free trade zones can sell up to 15% of their previous year's export turnover on the Moroccan market, providing flexibility in sales strategies.
- Support Services: Industrial Acceleration Zones provide comprehensive support services, including turnkey buildings, rental offices, maintenance, security, banking, catering, telecoms, recruitment support, logistics, and administrative services through a one-stop-shop, making them attractive locations for investment and business operations.
Free zones in Morocco
Morocco boasts 12 industrial acceleration zones, though not all are fully operational yet. However, several zones have distinguished themselves for their functionality and efficiency.
1. Midparc
Midparc is an industrial acceleration zone strategically located in the Greater Casablanca region of Morocco, about 30 km from Casablanca. It caters to various industries including aeronautics, emerging sectors like medical electronics, industrial logistics, and support services. Key features include its role as a hub for aerospace industries, its strategic location near the Casablanca Mohammed V airport, and its competitive local workforce. These factors make Midparc an attractive destination for investment and growth in high-tech industries.
Location: Positioned in the Greater Casablanca region, specifically within Nouaceur’s urban commune, Midparc is approximately 30 km from Casablanca, the economic capital of the country. Its location ensures exceptional connectivity through well-developed road, rail, port, and air infrastructure.
Target Sectors: Midparc primarily targets sectors such as aeronautics, space, electronics, and other high-tech industries. The presence of major multinational companies like Bombardier since 2012 has significantly reinforced Midparc's status as a preferred destination for aerospace investments.
Key Features of Midparc:
A. Aeronautics and Space Hub: Midparc serves as a central location for aerospace, defense, security, and emerging sectors like medical and embedded electronics.
B. Strategic Location: Near Casablanca Mohammed V airport, providing direct access to Africa and Europe. Excellent port, rail, road, and air infrastructure enhance logistical advantages.
C. Competitive Workforce: Abundant and well-trained local workforce available at a lower cost compared to Europe. Significant investment in workforce development, including annual training for thousands of young people supported by subsidies.
2. Atlantic Free Zone (AFZ)
The Atlantic Free Zone (AFZ) is a comprehensive industrial zone nestled in the heart of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region. It serves as a pivotal component of Morocco's industrial development plan, particularly focusing on attracting investments in the automotive sector. Key highlights of AFZ include:
Strategic Positioning: AFZ's strategic location between Rabat and Casablanca, Morocco's administrative and economic hubs, enhances its appeal to exporting companies by providing access to complex transportation networks connecting to both domestic and international markets.
AFZ situated about 8 kilometers from the Kénitra-Tangier highway and enjoys an advantageous location with excellent connectivity to major transportation routes.
Expansion and Demand: AFZ has recently expanded by 9 hectares due to high demand from investors, making it one of the largest African platforms for exporting companies.
Attractiveness to Multinationals: Renowned multinational corporations, particularly in the automotive and electronics sectors like Renault Morocco ecosystem, Adient, and Citic Dicastal, find AFZ to be a favored destination for their operations.
Overall, AFZ offers a conducive environment for industrial growth, emphasizing sectors such as automotive equipment, export-related activities, industrial logistics, and support services.
3. Technopolis: A Silicon Valley on the outskirts of Rabat
Technopolis stands out as a park with a unique positioning, offering flexible developments tailored to new technology businesses. It operates to foster a balanced relationship between higher education, research, and business sectors. The park is organized into three distinct zones: an offshoring area, an area dedicated to office and educational activities, and a free zone operational since 2016.
Covering a vast expanse of 300 hectares, Technopolis Park features an innovative layout, top-notch infrastructure, and management practices aligned with international standards, positioning it as a preferred destination for investments and projects related to new technology sectors.
Location: Strategically situated near Rabat city, at the convergence of three major highways, Technopolis Free Zone enjoys convenient accessibility. It is located within a two-hour drive from Tangier, Casablanca, or Fez. Moreover, the park benefits from its proximity to two airports: the Rabat-Salé international airport and the sizable Casablanca air hub. With Rabat hosting some of the nation's premier training institutions, the region boasts a rich pool of skilled and abundant human resources. These advantages collectively position Technopolis as a hub where production costs defy conventional market norms.
4. Oujda Industrial Zone
Oujda Technopole, a crucial component of the MED-EST Plan aimed at bolstering the industrial strategy in the Oriental Region, is a diverse project encompassing various sectors:
Free Zone: Providing a conducive environment for industrial activities.
Open Zone: Comprising an SME/SMI zone, a retail park, a commercial platform, an Offshoring and services pole, and a training zone.
Location: Strategically situated just 5 km from Oujda city, along the Oujda-Nador expressway and near the Oujda-Fez motorway axis, Oujda Technopole leverages the geographical advantages of the Oriental region and boasts excellent connectivity to transport infrastructure.
Advantages:
Oujda Technopole, situated 12 km from Oujda and 120 km from the port of Nador Beni Nsar, enjoys strategic advantages. Its Cleantech zone offers a cost-effective workforce and export opportunities. Geographically positioned at the intersection of Africa, Europe, and the Maghreb, it benefits from a dense connectivity network, enhancing its appeal to industrialists.
Strategic Objectives:
Oujda Technopole aims to position the Oriental region as a leading industrial hub in sustainable development. It aligns with national strategies like the Medest plan and the National Strategy for renewable energies, particularly through its Cleantech component.
Infrastructure and Features:
The project leverages its Mediterranean and North African environment, a 200 km coastline, and qualified human resources. It offers infrastructure advantages like proximity to Oujda Angad airport, connectivity via expressways, and access to the port of Nador Beni Nassar.
Integrated Project Components:
Oujda Technopole operates through clusters of regional competitiveness, offering a Cleantech zone, SME/SMI area, Campus of Knowledge, Retail Park, and business center, catering to diverse industrial and logistical needs.
5. Tangier free zone, an industrial platform at the gateway to Europe (TFZ)
The Tangier Free Zone (TFZ), inaugurated in 1999, serves as a premier industrial hub strategically positioned near Europe. Covering 400 hectares, it offers valuable assets including a prime location and a comprehensive range of services. TFZ hosts numerous companies across diverse sectors such as aeronautical, textile, agri-food, logistics, and services. Adjacent to the international airport of the city of the Strait, TFZ benefits from a skilled workforce. Overall, TFZ is a dynamic and versatile industrial zone, providing unparalleled opportunities for businesses due to its strategic location and robust infrastructure.
Other industrial acceleration zones include:
6. Agropolis
Agropolis, located in the Saïss plain, serves as a focal point for advancing Morocco's agricultural sector. It functions as an integrated industrial zone designed to support all stages of the agricultural value chain, from initial production to processing, distribution, and marketing. Key aspects of Agropolis include its emphasis on bolstering the Fez-Meknès region's main agricultural sectors, such as dairy, grains, and meat for local consumption, as well as olives, fruits, and vegetables for export purposes. Additionally, Agropolis aims to attract ancillary industries to enhance agricultural productivity, such as those specializing in irrigation equipment, packaging, and agricultural supplies.
7. Berkane agro-industrial Park
The Berkane Agro-Industrial Park, a cornerstone of the Green Morocco Plan, is primarily focused on agro-industry while also accommodating other sectors associated with the agricultural value chain. Its core objective is to establish a premier regional platform for the aggregation, marketing, processing, and distribution of agricultural products.
Location: Situated within the Madagh rural community, the park is strategically positioned at the heart of the irrigated Melouya perimeter, equidistant from Saïdia and Berkane. Nestled in the Oriental region, the Berkane Agro-Industrial Park serves as a pivotal hub for expanding agricultural businesses within Morocco and towards key markets in Europe, the Greater Maghreb, and the Mediterranean basin.
8. Boujdour Industrial Zone
The Boujdour Industrial Zone, inaugurated in 2011 and spanning 16 hectares, strategically locates near the Boujdour new port. Positioned between Laayoune and Daklha, it offers access to abundant fishery resources. Tailored for seafood processing and fishery sector advancement, it accommodates factories, warehouses, and showrooms. Key advantages include rich fishery resources, strategic proximity to the port, investment incentives, a skilled workforce, and education support programs for workforce development.
9. Aït Kamra Economic Activity Zone
The Aït Kamra Economic Activity Zone, established in 2009, serves as an integrated hub for economic activities, leveraging the natural and human resources of the region. Its primary objective is to accommodate local enterprises and bolster regional development efforts.
Location: Situated just 20 minutes from Al Hoceima city in the province of Al Hoceima, the zone benefits from the region's numerous advantages, including the development of key infrastructure projects and substantial economic potential. Moreover, it enjoys close proximity to two airports and three ports, facilitating efficient transportation and trade linkages.
Size and Purpose: Covering an expansive area of 27 hectares, the Aït Kamra Economic Activity Zone is designed to host a wide range of local activities spanning industry, crafts, commerce, and office parks. By providing a conducive environment for diverse economic endeavors, the zone aims to stimulate growth and foster regional prosperity.
10. Haliopolis
Haliopolis, as part of the Halieutis Strategy, stands as the premier industrial park exclusively dedicated to the seafood processing industry. Its primary goal is to centralize all essential industrial and logistical components and infrastructure necessary for advancing the seafood value chain.
Location: Positioned less than a 5-minute drive from Agadir city, at the entrance of the Agadir-Marrakech motorway, Haliopolis enjoys a strategic location that enhances accessibility and connectivity. It operates within a competitive cluster focused on seafood and agro-industry, fostering collaboration and innovative joint projects among stakeholders.
Infrastructure and Scope: Spanning across 150 hectares divided into four sections, Haliopolis capitalizes on two critical strengths: top-notch infrastructure quality and comprehensive on-site integration of the entire value chain. This integration encompasses processing facilities, supporting industries, business and individual services, research and development centers, training institutes, logistics hubs, and service sector activities.
Advantages: Haliopolis offers numerous advantages, including abundant fishery resources of high quality and diversity, proximity to target markets, beneficial free trade agreements in the fisheries sector with major trading partners like the U.S. and the EU, and provisions for assistance such as training facilities. Its strategic location near Agadir city provides proximity to key transportation hubs like the airport and port, as well as major road networks including National Road #1 Marrakech-Laayoune and the Marrakech-Agadir motorway.
Moreover, Haliopolis adheres to international standards, facilitating seamless integration into global markets. Additionally, it offers a diverse array of amenities for investors, such as fully-equipped land plots, ready-to-use units, office spaces, and business incubators, promoting investment and growth within the seafood processing industry.
11. Selouane Industrial Zone
The Selouane Industrial Zone is a key component of the MED-EST Plan, representing a territorial approach to the industrial strategy within the Oriental Region.
Covering an area of 44 hectares, the zone is designed to host various sectors, including an industrial area dedicated to SMEs/SMIs, a commercial zone, and a mixed-use area integrating facilities for training, research and development, and business incubation.
Location: Situated in Selouane’s rural commune, approximately 12 km from Nador province, along the Oujda-Nador expressway, the Selouane Industrial Zone benefits from its proximity to three ports and two airports, enhancing its accessibility and connectivity.
12. Souss Massa Agro-industrial Park (Souss Massa Free Zone)
Established in 2016 as part of the Green Morocco Plan, the Souss Massa agro-industrial park is specifically designed for the agro-industrial sector. Its primary objective is to consolidate all necessary industrial and logistical components, along with essential infrastructure, to enhance the development of the agricultural products value chain.
Location: Situated southeast of the city of Agadir, the "Agropole of Souss" serves as one of the two components of the Haliopolis industrial park. The park occupies a gross area of 75 hectares, with a net marketable area of 55 hectares.
Conclusion
There are more than a dozen industrial acceleration zones in Morocco. While most of them are operational, many platforms are still under construction. In addition, the government plans to create new spaces dedicated to companies specializing in exports to welcome more investors looking for fertile ground. This proves once again the attractiveness of Morocco because the demand has never been this high.
Updated On: 02/15/2024