Dakhla atlantic port: A magnet for French investors

Saturday 11 October 2025 - 09:00

By: Sahili Aya

Dakhla atlantic port: A magnet for French investors

The Dakhla Atlantic Port is emerging as one of Morocco’s flagship projects, set to transform the economic landscape of the southern provinces.
At the Morocco–France Economic Forum, held on October 9 in Dakhla, participants unanimously highlighted its strategic role in strengthening trade between Africa and Europe.

Organized by CGEM and MEDEF through the France–Morocco Business Leaders Club, the event—held under the theme “The Southern Provinces of Morocco: New Perspectives for Morocco–France Economic Partnership”—brought together over 300 business leaders, including 40 from France.

At the heart of the discussions was the Dakhla Atlantic Port, envisioned as a future hub of regional and international integration.
Located at a key maritime crossroads, it is expected to become a logistics hub comparable to Tanger Med.

For Olivier Vincent, Export Director at Bpifrance, the project represents “a major opportunity for Morocco–France cooperation and for strengthening connections between Africa and Europe.”

A site visit allowed French and Moroccan investors to assess the scale of the project, designed to handle 35 million tonnes of annual traffic.

According to Nesrine Iyouzi, Director of Port Development, the infrastructure is part of the Southern Provinces Development Model.
It includes an industrial zone of 1,600 hectares and a total investment of 12.65 billion dirhams, with facilities for liquid and solid bulk, containers (up to one million TEUs), ship repair, and fishing activities.

Open to African, American, and global markets, the Dakhla Atlantic Port focuses on logistics, industry, and energy, supporting especially Morocco’s green hydrogen exports in the form of ammonia.

Construction is progressing on schedule, with the first phase expected to be completed by late 2028, and operations beginning in 2029.