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Saif al-Arab

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Morocco and China launch U.S.$1 Billion Industrial Park in Tangiers
By
Staff member
-
March 22, 2017
morocco-china.jpg

Morocco and China flags. Image for illustration purposes only.
Rabat, Morocco (TMT)- King Mohammed VI chaired on Monday at the Marchane Royal Palace in Tangiers the signing ceremony of the “Mohammed VI Tangiers Tech City,” a one billion U.S. dollars industrial and residential park in Morocco’s northern city of Tangiers.

Th industrial park will spread over an area of 2,000 hectares and generate 100,000 jobs.

The signing saw the presence of a huge Moroccan and Chinese delegation, including representatives from Chinese HAITE group and Morocco’s BMCE Bank, the main investors.

According to Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Industry Minister, the project will start in the second half of this year and “is scheduled to take 10 years.”

The industrial park is set to host an important number of Chinese companies, organized through an industry ecosystem.

The Moroccan Times.

http://themoroccantimes.com/2017/03...che-u-s-1-billion-industrial-park-in-tangiers

Morocco’s GDP Stands at 4.3 % in First Quarter of 2017
By
Staff member
-
April 6, 2017
morocco-agriculture.jpg

Image from Archive. Moroccan Women Harvesting Wheat Crop.
Rabat, Morocco (TMT)- According to the last figures from Morocco’s High Commission for Planning (HCP), released this week, Morocco’s GDP during the first quarter of 2017 stood at 4.3%.

The number represents an important increase compared to last year’s figures for the same quarter, where the GDP back-then only saw a 1.3% increase.

According to the HCP, the increase in the GDP this year is mainly due to a good performance in the share value of the agricultural products, boosting significantly the kingdom’s overall GDP.

The non-agricultural value share in the overall GDP, especially the services sector, increased by 3%, the HCP said.

The HCP closed saying that it expects a 4.6% increase in the second quarter of 2017.

The Moroccan Times.

http://themoroccantimes.com/2017/04/22261/moroccos-gdp-stands-at-4-3-in-first-quarter-of-2017

Moroccan Solar agency settles on China, Saudi Arabia for major solar project

Nov 17, 2016



Moroccan Solar agency (MASEN) has chosen Saudi Arabian power engineering company ACWA Power and China’s Chint group to establish three solar plants with a joint capacity of 170MW as part of the NOOR PV I project in Morocco.

This is the first solar PV phase of the NOOR Solar Plan, which has already seen three major concentrated solar power (CSP) projects in Quarzazate

With ACWA Power leading and Chint delivering technical support, the two companies will design, finance, build, manage, and maintain the NOOR PV I program, having been chosen through an international call for bids.

MASEN said the tariff will be placed at US$0.046.

Also read:Europe Union to fund mega solar plant in Morocco

ACWA Power has won a variety of capacities in the Middle East over the past 18 months mostly with world –beating solar tariffs.

MASEN also signed contracts with KfW bank for US $64 M to aid funding the project. The three projects will also be funded by the first green bonds in Morocco, set to be issued by MASEN for a figure of US $ 114 M and countersigned by Al Barid Bank, Attijariwafa Bank, the SCR, and the CMR.

The three intended PV plants include:

  • NOOR Ouarzazate IV, 70MW
  • NOOR Laayoune, 80MW
  • NOOR Boujdour, 20MW
MASEN president Mustapha Bakkoury said: “With these three solar plants, MASEN goes on to enlarge its portfolio of multi-technology projects, constantly with the aim of taking action in the best means possible to the needs of our client and partner, ONEE (the National Agency for Electricity and Drinking Water).

This is also the consolidation of long-standing partnerships, both with the KfW, which is funding the fourth and final phase of the Ouarzazate complex, and with ACWA Power, and it reassures us that we will develop projects meeting international standards at Ouarzazate, Laayoune, and Boujdour.”

All projects are estimated to be done by 2019. They are part of the nation’s wider Solar Energy Programme which has an motivated goal of attaining 2GW of solar energy capacity by 2020.

ACWA Power currently launched a new division that will compile its present renewable-energy portfolio

https://constructionreviewonline.co...n-china-saudi-arabia-for-major-solar-project/

Arab-American Summit: Morocco Reiterates Support to Saudi Arabia

By Morocco World News -

May 21, 2017 , 5:30 pm

Rabat – The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita, stressed the importance of strong relations between the countries of the Arab-Islamic world and the United States of America to face the challenges which weigh heavily on the region, Sunday in Riyadh.

In a statement carried by Maghreb Arab Press (MAP), coinciding with the Arab-Islamic-American Summit, Mr Bourita highlighted the importance of the inauguration of a new era in relations between the Arab-Islamic world and the United States, given the challenges facing the region, including the terrorist threat and the interventionism of certain states in the internal affairs of Muslim countries.

Efforts to consolidate relations between the Arab-Islamic world and the United States show that “we are all in the same trenches facing the threats that target Muslim countries and affect the image of Islam as a religion Tolerance and the right environment, “said Bourita, who led the Moroccan delegation’s participation in the Riyadh Summit.

His Majesty, King Mohammed VI, supported the initiative of the Servant of the Holy Places for the strengthening of Arab-Islamic solidarity. He stressed the importance and timeliness of this initiative amid a climate of destabilization and the crises in certain Arab countries.

Mr. Bourita reiterated the support of Morocco for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all Arab-Muslim countries in their initiatives aimed at strengthening solidarity between the countries of the Arab-Islamic world and the preservation of the interests of their peoples.

The Arab-Islamic-American Summit kicked off Sunday in Riyadh, with the participation of US President Donald Trump and an audience of Arab and Islamic leaders.

The aim of this conclave is to examine ways to build secure partnerships for an efficient fight against terrorism and extremism around the world.

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/20...-need-strong-relations-arab-islamic-world-us/

Fez: King Mohammed VI to Inaugurate Morocco’s Oldest Bazaar After Historic Renovation
16219.thumbnail.jpg

By Saad Eddine Lamzouwaq -

May 23, 2017 , 9:32 pm

Rabat – Kissariat Al Kifah, Fez’s famous hanidcrafts shopping district, is finally re-opening after nearly a year of renovation.

The King Mohammed VI is due to inaugurate the restored bazaar by the end of May, to relief of shopkeepers who have been worried the project would not be completed by Ramadan, the most prosperous crafts season.

Shop owners are upbeat and hopeful that the new face of the Kissariat will help revive their business activities. In the past decade, business in the shopping district have plummeted to a worrying level. Many blame the situation on former Fez mayor Hamid Chabat’s to transfer the parking lot adjacent to area from the Rcif quarter to Babjdid.

As the majority of its customers would come to the district by car, this decision dealt a fatal blow to the business center. Shop owners say number of buyers coming from long distances to buy Fez’s handicrafts has dropped dramatically.

“The former mayor has done a lot of harm to our activities, and we are hopeful the renovation of the Kissariat under the auspices of His Majesty will bring things to normal and breathe new life into our activities,” a shop owner who has been working in the Kissariat for 39 years told Morocco World News.

The initial period of rehabilitation and renovation kicked off in September 2016 intended to last five months, but was extended till the end of May.

The renovation period itself was not without hiccups. One retailer complained to MWN of a lack of proper funds. “We received only MAD 3,500 from the authorities to renovate our shops.”

In recent months, many former craftsmen complained as well about not receiving indemnities from local authorities promised to compensate for temporarily losing their jobs. The mall is considered the cornerstone of Moroccan handicrafts, and thousands of workers depend on its 500 shops.

Kissariat workers have been worried by the delay, which has negatively impacted their livelihood, especially if they miss the holy month of Ramadan where their businesses flourish.

Their fears grew even more as their expenditures are due to increase following Ramadan, during the summer holidays, which will in turn be followed by the new school season.

In addition to its economic importance for the old city of Fez, the district is a historical monument. It was named Al Kifah (“The resistance”) after its residents who resisted French colonization. In 1954 French authorities set fire in district from where calls for strikes and resistance used to spread all over Morocco.

With the re-opening of the “Kissariat Al Kifah”, the past will once again meet the present, as the crafts shopping market never lost its importance for the city’s residents.

Its renovation is part of a larger rehabilitation program of the city of Fez launched by the King Mohammed VI. Despite criticism of the delay, its completion will hopefully give the legendary city a needed makeover.

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/20...e-moroccos-oldest-bazaar-historic-renovation/

Morocco has excellent well-kept historical sites and they make it a duty to retain traditional architecture. On this front, I would argue, that Moroccans and Yemenis are at the forefront of this in the Arab world.

Brother you can use this thread to post everything about Morocco. I cannot create it on the Arab section because only military-related threads are allowed there. Also this might attract some of the Moroccan brothers that left the forum to return or maybe new ones to appear. I will let you take the stage from now on.

@Alithemoor1
 
Last edited by a moderator:
. .
Thank you for opening the thread, my friend. I will try to keep it updated.

I have just stumbled upon this interesting video:


My pleasure. Great video.

A glimpse of Morocco:

33433431316_e5a6871149_b.jpg


33289444901_a8e14a1f26_b.jpg



P1050071.jpg
by tekqvist, en Flickr


P1040966.jpg
by tekqvist, en Flickr


Maroc - Chefchaouen
by akcfoto, en Flickr


Chefchaouen
by denis selnihhin, en Flickr


Marocco- Asilah
by syssy70, en Flickr


Paysage marocain d'hiver
by Fr Maxim Massalitin, en Flickr


Hassan II Mosque - Casablanca
by Federica Gentile, en Flickr


Kasbah ait Ben Haddou
by Mike Watson, on Flickr


Tánger
by Pablo Alcón, en Flickr


Gueliz
by tribu02, en Flickr


Chefchaouen
by Franx', en Flickr


rif mountain road near ketama
by eikzilla, en Flickr


Aït Ben Haddou
by clémence·Liu , en Flickr


taghazout - august 2013
by Stefano Majno, en Flickr


Cabo negro road - Tétouan Morocco
by + M. Bouhsina, en Flickr

cd120f52cacff3.jpg



Martil
by sibera photography, en Flickr


Meknes , detail of Mouly Ismael mausoleum
by dirk huijssoon, en Flickr

See more below in this excellent thread on the Arab section:

https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/the-arabian-peninsula-and-arab-world-in-photos.280918/page-49
 
. . . . .
Morocco and China launch U.S.$1 Billion Industrial Park in Tangiers
By
Staff member
-
March 22, 2017
morocco-china.jpg

Morocco and China flags. Image for illustration purposes only.
Rabat, Morocco (TMT)- King Mohammed VI chaired on Monday at the Marchane Royal Palace in Tangiers the signing ceremony of the “Mohammed VI Tangiers Tech City,” a one billion U.S. dollars industrial and residential park in Morocco’s northern city of Tangiers.

Th industrial park will spread over an area of 2,000 hectares and generate 100,000 jobs.

The signing saw the presence of a huge Moroccan and Chinese delegation, including representatives from Chinese HAITE group and Morocco’s BMCE Bank, the main investors.

According to Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Industry Minister, the project will start in the second half of this year and “is scheduled to take 10 years.”

The industrial park is set to host an important number of Chinese companies, organized through an industry ecosystem.

The Moroccan Times.

http://themoroccantimes.com/2017/03...che-u-s-1-billion-industrial-park-in-tangiers

Morocco’s GDP Stands at 4.3 % in First Quarter of 2017
By
Staff member
-
April 6, 2017
morocco-agriculture.jpg

Image from Archive. Moroccan Women Harvesting Wheat Crop.
Rabat, Morocco (TMT)- According to the last figures from Morocco’s High Commission for Planning (HCP), released this week, Morocco’s GDP during the first quarter of 2017 stood at 4.3%.

The number represents an important increase compared to last year’s figures for the same quarter, where the GDP back-then only saw a 1.3% increase.

According to the HCP, the increase in the GDP this year is mainly due to a good performance in the share value of the agricultural products, boosting significantly the kingdom’s overall GDP.

The non-agricultural value share in the overall GDP, especially the services sector, increased by 3%, the HCP said.

The HCP closed saying that it expects a 4.6% increase in the second quarter of 2017.

The Moroccan Times.

http://themoroccantimes.com/2017/04/22261/moroccos-gdp-stands-at-4-3-in-first-quarter-of-2017

Moroccan Solar agency settles on China, Saudi Arabia for major solar project

Nov 17, 2016



Moroccan Solar agency (MASEN) has chosen Saudi Arabian power engineering company ACWA Power and China’s Chint group to establish three solar plants with a joint capacity of 170MW as part of the NOOR PV I project in Morocco.

This is the first solar PV phase of the NOOR Solar Plan, which has already seen three major concentrated solar power (CSP) projects in Quarzazate

With ACWA Power leading and Chint delivering technical support, the two companies will design, finance, build, manage, and maintain the NOOR PV I program, having been chosen through an international call for bids.

MASEN said the tariff will be placed at US$0.046.

Also read:Europe Union to fund mega solar plant in Morocco

ACWA Power has won a variety of capacities in the Middle East over the past 18 months mostly with world –beating solar tariffs.

MASEN also signed contracts with KfW bank for US $64 M to aid funding the project. The three projects will also be funded by the first green bonds in Morocco, set to be issued by MASEN for a figure of US $ 114 M and countersigned by Al Barid Bank, Attijariwafa Bank, the SCR, and the CMR.

The three intended PV plants include:

  • NOOR Ouarzazate IV, 70MW
  • NOOR Laayoune, 80MW
  • NOOR Boujdour, 20MW
MASEN president Mustapha Bakkoury said: “With these three solar plants, MASEN goes on to enlarge its portfolio of multi-technology projects, constantly with the aim of taking action in the best means possible to the needs of our client and partner, ONEE (the National Agency for Electricity and Drinking Water).

This is also the consolidation of long-standing partnerships, both with the KfW, which is funding the fourth and final phase of the Ouarzazate complex, and with ACWA Power, and it reassures us that we will develop projects meeting international standards at Ouarzazate, Laayoune, and Boujdour.”

All projects are estimated to be done by 2019. They are part of the nation’s wider Solar Energy Programme which has an motivated goal of attaining 2GW of solar energy capacity by 2020.

ACWA Power currently launched a new division that will compile its present renewable-energy portfolio

https://constructionreviewonline.co...n-china-saudi-arabia-for-major-solar-project/

Arab-American Summit: Morocco Reiterates Support to Saudi Arabia

By Morocco World News -

May 21, 2017 , 5:30 pm

Rabat – The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita, stressed the importance of strong relations between the countries of the Arab-Islamic world and the United States of America to face the challenges which weigh heavily on the region, Sunday in Riyadh.

In a statement carried by Maghreb Arab Press (MAP), coinciding with the Arab-Islamic-American Summit, Mr Bourita highlighted the importance of the inauguration of a new era in relations between the Arab-Islamic world and the United States, given the challenges facing the region, including the terrorist threat and the interventionism of certain states in the internal affairs of Muslim countries.

Efforts to consolidate relations between the Arab-Islamic world and the United States show that “we are all in the same trenches facing the threats that target Muslim countries and affect the image of Islam as a religion Tolerance and the right environment, “said Bourita, who led the Moroccan delegation’s participation in the Riyadh Summit.

His Majesty, King Mohammed VI, supported the initiative of the Servant of the Holy Places for the strengthening of Arab-Islamic solidarity. He stressed the importance and timeliness of this initiative amid a climate of destabilization and the crises in certain Arab countries.

Mr. Bourita reiterated the support of Morocco for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all Arab-Muslim countries in their initiatives aimed at strengthening solidarity between the countries of the Arab-Islamic world and the preservation of the interests of their peoples.

The Arab-Islamic-American Summit kicked off Sunday in Riyadh, with the participation of US President Donald Trump and an audience of Arab and Islamic leaders.

The aim of this conclave is to examine ways to build secure partnerships for an efficient fight against terrorism and extremism around the world.

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/20...-need-strong-relations-arab-islamic-world-us/

Fez: King Mohammed VI to Inaugurate Morocco’s Oldest Bazaar After Historic Renovation
16219.thumbnail.jpg

By Saad Eddine Lamzouwaq -

May 23, 2017 , 9:32 pm

Rabat – Kissariat Al Kifah, Fez’s famous hanidcrafts shopping district, is finally re-opening after nearly a year of renovation.

The King Mohammed VI is due to inaugurate the restored bazaar by the end of May, to relief of shopkeepers who have been worried the project would not be completed by Ramadan, the most prosperous crafts season.

Shop owners are upbeat and hopeful that the new face of the Kissariat will help revive their business activities. In the past decade, business in the shopping district have plummeted to a worrying level. Many blame the situation on former Fez mayor Hamid Chabat’s to transfer the parking lot adjacent to area from the Rcif quarter to Babjdid.

As the majority of its customers would come to the district by car, this decision dealt a fatal blow to the business center. Shop owners say number of buyers coming from long distances to buy Fez’s handicrafts has dropped dramatically.

“The former mayor has done a lot of harm to our activities, and we are hopeful the renovation of the Kissariat under the auspices of His Majesty will bring things to normal and breathe new life into our activities,” a shop owner who has been working in the Kissariat for 39 years told Morocco World News.

The initial period of rehabilitation and renovation kicked off in September 2016 intended to last five months, but was extended till the end of May.

The renovation period itself was not without hiccups. One retailer complained to MWN of a lack of proper funds. “We received only MAD 3,500 from the authorities to renovate our shops.”

In recent months, many former craftsmen complained as well about not receiving indemnities from local authorities promised to compensate for temporarily losing their jobs. The mall is considered the cornerstone of Moroccan handicrafts, and thousands of workers depend on its 500 shops.

Kissariat workers have been worried by the delay, which has negatively impacted their livelihood, especially if they miss the holy month of Ramadan where their businesses flourish.

Their fears grew even more as their expenditures are due to increase following Ramadan, during the summer holidays, which will in turn be followed by the new school season.

In addition to its economic importance for the old city of Fez, the district is a historical monument. It was named Al Kifah (“The resistance”) after its residents who resisted French colonization. In 1954 French authorities set fire in district from where calls for strikes and resistance used to spread all over Morocco.

With the re-opening of the “Kissariat Al Kifah”, the past will once again meet the present, as the crafts shopping market never lost its importance for the city’s residents.

Its renovation is part of a larger rehabilitation program of the city of Fez launched by the King Mohammed VI. Despite criticism of the delay, its completion will hopefully give the legendary city a needed makeover.

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/20...e-moroccos-oldest-bazaar-historic-renovation/

Morocco has excellent well-kept historical sites and they make it a duty to retain traditional architecture. On this front, I would argue, that Moroccans and Yemenis are at the forefront of this in the Arab world.

Brother you can use this thread to post everything about Morocco. I cannot create it on the Arab section because only military-related threads are allowed there. Also this might attract some of the Moroccan brothers that left the forum to return or maybe new ones to appear. I will let you take the stage from now on.

@Alithemoor1


Good for Morocco, it is a very nice seeing a wonderful country like Morocco getting ahead.
 
.
Thank you, my friend.
Saudi Delegation Visits Morocco’s Samir Refinery
12078.thumbnail.png

By Morocco World News -

May 24, 2017 , 2:35 pm


Rabat – A Saudi Delegation has visited the Samir oil refinery in Mohammedia as part of Saudi Aramco’s interest in acquiring the Moroccan firm and expanding into African and European markets. The Saudi delegation comprising officials and investors in the oil sector made the visit to the Refinery to explore its eight new industrial units, which include Hydrocracker Oil to Gasoline Conversion Unit, and Liquid Sulfur Unit.

The visit reflects Aramco’s interest in acquiring Samir Refinery and turning it into a hub to refine oil and market its derivatives in the African and European markets.

The Saudi delegation assessed the outstanding technical condition of the industrial units at the firm, which has not operated for two years but is still maintained.

Officials at the Moroccan firm confirmed that their Saudi counterpart showed interest in turning the refinery into a hub to strengthen its market share in Africa and Europe. Najib Rami, general secretary of the union’s trade union office told local press that the Moroccan firm would be a great asset for Aramco, as it represents one of the most advanced refineries in the Mediterranean region and the African continent.

“We at SAMIR are looking forward to the arrival of the new investor to resume petroleum refining activities and to start supplying the Moroccan market with gasoline, gas, and lubricants,” the same official added.

Rami pointed out that the Moroccan refinery could be transformed into a regional platform due to its technical capabilities, strategic location in the African market and proximity Europe. He explained that the workers are aware of the responsibility that awaits them and confirmed that are ready to resume activity.


Automotive Market: Italian Sofegi to Open in Morocco

By Chaima Lahsini -

March 22, 2017 , 4:20 pm
Morocco-Automotive-Fair-Kicks-Off-In-Casablanca-September-30.jpg

Morocco Is Africa's Strongest Performer in Auto Sales: Fitch Group

Rabat – The Italian company Sogefi, a subsidiary of the CIR group, will set up its first African site in Morocco in the Tangier free trade zone.

The company specializing in the manufacture of automotive components announced the construction of a new plant in the Kingdom for the supply of local and European market.

In a statement published by the CIR Group, Sogefi stated that it has already received orders for both markets, “which will bring in additional annual sales of EUR 30 million starting from 2020.”

The plant, scheduled to start in early 2018, will manufacture two different models of engine filtration systems (a metal diesel filter and an oil filtration module) and original spare parts for various types of vehicles.

The factory in Tangier will employ 120 people, but Sogefi said that new business opportunities may lead to an expansion of the plant and a rise in the number of employees to 300. This could provide annual sales of EUR 60 million in 2021, the supplier said.

“This investment further strengthens the competitiveness of Sogefi’s manufacturing base and provides support for profitable growth in Morocco and in Europe,” said Sogefi’s CEO, Laurent Hebenstreit.

For Sogefi, this decision has been encouraged by the evolution of Moroccan car production, which has experienced strong growth in recent years.

Several international car manufacturers and component suppliers have already invested or are planning to invest in Morocco, foreseeing a production volume of 1 million vehicles per year by 2025. Just last year, Renault, together with a partner group of suppliers, decided to invest MAD 10 billion in Morocco to build an “industry ecosystem” to help boost local production of components.

 
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