The Regional Investments continue with two new stopovers organized in the southern provinces. The cities of Laayoune and Dakhla hosted, respectively on October 12 and 14, two new meetings which aroused particular enthusiasm on the part of the participants.
The Laayoune meeting was devoted to the theme of fishing and the promotion of seafood products. It was attended by MM. Mohamed Karim Mounir, President of the BCP group, Jalil Sebti, General Manager of the Commercial Bank, Abdeslam Bekrate, Wali of the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region, as well as officials from BP Laayoune and representatives of several partner institutions.
During the introductory panel, the President insisted on the leading position occupied by the Banque Populaire in the region of Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra and on its firm intention to maintain it in the future. ” We have a historic vision which is to support its economic and social development by mobilizing all the means necessary for this. “, he continued. For his part, Mr. Wali emphasized the potential offered by the region in the field of renewable energies, through its exposure to the winds, its high rate of sunshine as well as its extensive maritime domain. He also underlined the impact of the rapid and favorable evolution of the file of our territorial integrity to make the region a fertile ground to welcome national and international investments, in particular in the sectors of maritime fishing, the transformation of products from the sea, as well as renewable energies.
And this dynamic is confirmed on the ground, as developed by Mr. Jalil Sebti during his presentation of the results of the roadshow, by reaffirming the positive impact that the Regional Investments have had in stimulating investment in the regions. ” To date, we have identified a potential of more than 20 billion dirhams of projects, of which more than 27% have been granted by the various bodies of the Banque Populaire. The remainder benefits from local support to bring the various projects to fruition. “, he thus declared. The Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region alone stands out with a level of realization of nearly 30% of the investments identified.
Finally, Mr. Ahmed Benlafkih Idrissi, Chairman of the Management Board of BP Laâyoune, highlighted the Bank’s active participation in the investment effort in the region, by addressing all customer segments, through a comprehensive financing and support system.
The first panel was an opportunity to present an inventory of the fishing and seafood development sectors as well as their development prospects. ” The future of the fisheries sector depends on sustainable aquaculture as well as the integration of innovation and scientific research in the valuation of seafood products », declared Mr. Abdellah Benmansour, Director of Strategy and Cooperation within the Fisheries Department (Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water & Forests). Participants also emphasized the importance of product diversification as another key element for the development of these sectors in the future.
Dakhla, under the sign of tourism
In Dakhla, the meeting focused on the tourism sector. During the introductory panel, the President reiterated the Bank’s desire, through Les Régionales de l’Investissement, to return to the regions to support entrepreneurship and investors with the aim of promoting economic growth. For his part, Mr. Yanja El Khattat, President of the Council of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab Region, highlighted the large number of projects carried out to strengthen the attractiveness of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region for investors and to highlight value its strengths in different sectors. In this register, he cited historical sectors, such as fishing, the promotion of seafood products, tourism and agriculture, as well as new sectors benefiting from its privileged geographical location, such as logistics and energies renewable. And in the Tourism sector, Mr. Imad Barrakkad, CEO of the Moroccan Society of Tourism Engineering (SMIT), recalled the battery of measures put in place by the public authorities to relieve the cash flow of operators and relaunch the investment of VSME. The objective is to strengthen the attractiveness, competitiveness and sustainability of Moroccan destinations.
During the First Panel, the various speakers pointed out the significant potential of which our country, and the region of Dakhla-Oued Eddahab, in particular abound in the field of tourism. They also underlined the substantive work that has been carried out with all stakeholders to ensure a successful restart of activities, while emphasizing the need to adopt a new approach. This notably involves the development of air transport, territorial marketing, and the enrichment of the offer of activities, in order to allow the increase of the average budget per tourist, as well as the extension of the duration of stays. Sector specialists have also insisted on the need to set up a regional investment fund.
Historic support for businesses during times of crisis
As during the previous stopovers, the following panels were dedicated respectively to export development levers as well as support and financing mechanisms. The latter notably enabled the representatives of the BCP and the Maroc Leasing subsidiary to recall the important role that the Group has historically played alongside companies during periods of crisis. They also exposed the panoply of offers set up in this register.
The two meetings also hosted, in the afternoon, dedicated workshops which enabled investors to benefit from personalized support from business experts from BCP, its subsidiaries and several institutional partners.