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Nador West Med: Strategic study to open up the future Oriental hub
via Le Matin4 min read
The Nador Provincial Council has commissioned a strategic study to improve connectivity and bypass roads in the province, aiming to support the Nador West Med NWM port project. NWM is set to become one of the largest deep-water ports in the Southern Mediterranean, and its success largely depends on the quality of external infrastructure, including the road network and access fluidity. The study is a multimodal planning mission with three phases, involving ten distinct areas of expertise, from civil engineering to urban economics and sustainable development. It addresses the existing transport network's structural and functional limitations, which could worsen with NWM's progressive commissioning. The current main roads RN2, RN16, RN15, RN19 were not designed to handle the combined logistical flows of a large-capacity port, Nador Al Aroui International Airport, and existing and future industrial zones. The selected consulting firm will identify issues like saturated intersections, accident-prone sections, limited-clearance structures, level crossings, and conflicts between heavy and local traffic. The study also includes Origin-Destination surveys to understand traffic flows and project them over five, ten, and twenty years. The first phase involves a diagnostic to create a georeferenced database of the provincial transport network and a matrix of multimodal challenges. The second phase will develop and compare three scenarios: optimizing existing infrastructure, prioritizing
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Must ReadThe Espace Amazigh, Europe's first cultural center dedicated to Amazigh heritage, has been inaugurated in Granada, within the Alhambra, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The project, initiated by the late Dr. Leïla Mezian Benjelloun through her eponymous foundation, aims to research, disseminate, and promote Amazigh historical, artistic, and ethnological heritage. Othman Benjelloun, president of the Dr. Leïla Mezian Foundation, and his daughter Dounia Benjelloun attended the ceremony, which was also graced by numerous Moroccan and Spanish dignitaries, including André Azoulay, Advisor to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, and Karima Benyaich, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Spain. Dounia Benjelloun emphasized that the space realizes her mother's dream of showcasing Amazigh heritage in a place symbolizing dialogue between civilizations. The 250 m² museum, located at Carmen de los Porcel near the Alhambra, features a 200 m² permanent exhibition with 189 pieces, many from Dr. Leïla Mezian Benjelloun's collection, supplemented by a donation from former Spanish Ambassador to Morocco, Jorge Dezcallar, and his wife Teresa Eça, and pieces from the Alhambra's collections. The exhibition explores over three millennia of Amazigh history through artifacts, audiovisual resources, and interactive displays, highlighting women's adornments, textiles, ceramics, and the evolution of the Tifinagh alphabet. It also examines the role of Amazigh communities in forming Al-Andalus and the historical t
Morocco's national team coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, expressed mixed feelings of satisfaction and regret after the 1-1 draw against Brazil in the opening match of Group C of the 2026 World Cup. Ouahbi stated that his players delivered a "solid performance" against a physically impactful Brazilian team. He highlighted moments where his team controlled the game, found depth, and dictated the pace, but emphasized the need to "learn to finish matches as we start them." Despite feeling there was more to achieve, the coach defended his players' mindset, noting his pride in their effort and their awareness that they could have performed better. Individually, Ouahbi praised young midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, stating he was not surprised by his quality, and lauded midfielder Neil El Aynaoui for a "very high-level match." He also reassured about the health of goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who sustained a minor shoulder injury but is recovering well. Ouahbi concluded by commending the atmosphere of the match, created by both Moroccan and Brazilian supporters.
Must ReadThe World Bank is set to approve two significant financing packages for Morocco. The first, approximately $400 million, is for the "Morocco Climate & Risk Finance Program," a five-year initiative 2026-2031 aimed at strengthening the country's financial resilience to disasters and emerging risks, and boosting the state's capacity to attract private investment in climate-aligned projects. Morocco faces substantial natural risks like earthquakes, floods, and droughts, intensified by climate change, leading to significant budgetary costs and disproportionate impacts on vulnerable households, small businesses, and fragile regions. The program has three main components: mobilizing long-term climate finance through project pipelines and a Project Preparation Facility; enhancing and expanding risk financing, including strengthening the Solidarity Fund against Catastrophic Events FSEC, deepening disaster insurance, and developing cyber risk insurance; and supporting the financial sector's resilience by integrating climate, disaster, and cyber risks into regulatory frameworks. This program will be coordinated by the Ministry of Finance, with key implementing entities including the Directorate of Public Enterprises and Privatization, FSEC, the Insurance and Social Welfare Supervisory Authority Acaps, and Bank Al-Maghrib. The second financing package, totaling $250 million, will support a program to accelerate Morocco's digital transformation. This program, also results-based and impleme