Ports & Logistics

Ports and roads are the foundation of the southern economy. Fish, phosphates and farm produce leave the region by sea, and almost everything else arrives by road along the Atlantic coast. Two large projects are transforming both.

The Dakhla Atlantic port

North of Dakhla, Morocco is building a deep-water port connected to the mainland by an offshore bridge of about 1.3 km. Its estimated cost is MAD 12.5 to 13 billion, a little over USD 1 billion. Completion is planned for the end of 2028 and operations for 2029. The port is designed for fishing, commercial cargo and energy, and is intended as a gateway between Europe, West Africa and the Sahel. It is a key piece of the Atlantic Initiative announced in 2023 to give landlocked Sahel countries access to the ocean.

Existing ports

Laâyoune, Tarfaya, Boujdour, Dakhla and Tan-Tan all have working ports, most of them centred on fishing. Laâyoune’s port also handles phosphate exports from the Bou Craa mine and general cargo for the region.

The Tiznit–Dakhla expressway

A 1,055 km expressway now runs from Tiznit, south of Agadir, to Dakhla, widening and rebuilding the old coastal road. It shortens journey times, improves safety for the heavy lorries that carry the region’s fish and produce north, and connects the new port to the national network.

Opportunities

Cold storage, logistics platforms, ship services and trade with West Africa are the activities most likely to grow around the new port. See Invest in the south for the incentives available.