MOROCCO – The government of Morocco has announced plans to build a new environmentally sustainable industrial park in the Fez-Meknes region, as part of a collaboration between the government and a number of business entities.

The initiative is part of an agreement between the Ministry of Industry, Trade, Green, and Digital Economy, and the regional council of Fez-Meknes, the Regional Investment Center (CRI), and the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Morocco (CFCIM).

According to the organizations involved in the project, the new industrial park will be the first in the country to be exclusively dedicated to clean industries. 

Developers valued the new site at over US$12.5 million and are planning to include a wide range of features in their design. Dubbed the “Fez-Saiss Industrial Park,” the project includes plans for 130 rental lots near the park. It will also include restaurants, hotels, exhibition areas, a wastewater treatment plant, and green spaces, according to the CRI.

Officials are lauding the new park as a source of large scale job creation for the Fez-Meknes region. The project’s designs are also in line with government initiatives to encourage ecological sustainability and pollution reduction in Morocco’s business sector.

The Fez-Saiss park will be almost completely self-sufficient, reducing the overall cost for local authorities.

The park is also projected to include large-scale road systems, firefighting infrastructure, a drinking-water production system, electrical, telephone and internet systems, and even its own separate sewage lines.

Although Morocco produces a relatively small amount of global carbon emissions, the country has been adamant on pivoting towards even more sustainable practices to contribute to the global fight against climate change.

With the implementation of 2008 Morocco’s Green Plan, the country has taken steps to ensure both businesses and government infrastructure are built in the most eco-friendly way possible. Additionally, the country announced its commitment to produce 52% of its energy consumption from renewable sources by 2030.