2.5 Billions of Dirhams of Investments in Laâyoune: Government Commitment to Make the Region a Pole of Sustainable Development
ABDELLAH ZOBAYRI
As part of the celebrations commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Green March, Mr. Nizar Baraka, Minister of Equipment and Water, reaffirmed the government’s unwavering commitment to implementing the High Royal Guidelines aimed at building the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region into a “sustainable and attractive development hub”.
This commitment materialized during his recent visit, during which he launched and inspected a series of structuring projects whose overall investment exceeds 2.5 billion Dirhams. These initiatives aim at a complete modernization of infrastructure and a strengthening of the link of the Southern Provinces with their African depth.
At the forefront of these achievements is the project for the largest and longest road bridge in the Kingdom, located on Oued Sakia El Hamra, an essential link on the Tiznit-Dakhla highway, built with an investment of more than 1.38 billion Dirhams to guarantee the fluidity and safety of traffic.
In parallel with the modernization of the road network (including the Foum El Oued-La Marsa link for 27.75 million Dirhams), emphasis was placed on water security and coastal protection. The reconstruction work on the Sakia El Hamra Dam has reached a very advanced stage (89% completed for 652 million Dirhams), guaranteeing protection against flooding and recharging the water table.
Projects to protect the city against flooding (60 million Dirhams) and protect the coastline in Foum El Oued (92 million Dirhams) were also inspected to counter marine erosion.
Regarding ports, the extension of the Laâyoune fishing port is underway (203 million Dirhams) to increase its reception capacity. Finally, to ensure the sustainability of these investments, the launch of the construction of a Training Institute for Technicians Specialized in Public Works (112 million Dirhams) confirms an integrated vision linking robust infrastructure and the development of qualified human resources in the Southern Provinces.
