The Kingdom of Morocco participated in the “Oyeras Blue Tech Ocean 2025” forum, held in Oyeras, Portugal, this week, dedicated to discussing ways to marine innovation, decarbonization of ports and enhanced cooperation between continents.
The international date was received by representatives of governments, economic institutions and experts from Europe, Africa and Asia to discuss the prospects of the blue economy and new technological models associated with the sustainable development of the oceans and the exploitation of marine resources.
Morocco was a weighted guest of the forum, where the voice of the African continent represented in reviewing the challenges and opportunities for the development of the blue economy, especially in light of the changing international framework and the growing political support for its strategic initiatives, foremost of which is Portugal’s official declaration of its official support for the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara, as a serious and credible proposal to resolve the artificial regional dispute.
In this regard, Mohammed Geffer, Director of the Regional Investment Center in Laayoune, Saguia El Hamra, gave an intervention in which he reviewed the promising economic qualifications of the southern provinces of the Kingdom, with a focus on emerging sectors such as aquaculture, marine biotechnology, and the development of the port infrastructure, stressing that “these areas constitute a strategic lever to strengthen the blue economy, in line with national trends towards sustainable and integrated development”.
Geffer explained that this development dynamic is based on the new development model for the southern provinces, launched by King Mohammed VI in 2015, as a frame of reference for accelerating investments and achieving institutional stability, adding that “this model has enabled the creation of an attractive climate for investment, based on a holistic vision that combines the modernization of infrastructure and the promotion of innovative sectors, which makes the southern provinces a promising economic pole at the African and Atlantic levels.”
In turn, Sarah Safarioui, Professor of the Law of the Sea at the University of Abdelmalek Saadi, highlighted the strategic integrated vision adopted by Morocco to establish the pillars of a sustainable blue economy, based on respect for international law, and supported by multilateral partnerships, especially with the European Union, and stressed the geo-economic dimension of the southern provinces, which is a natural link between Europe and West Africa, and a future hub for trade and investment flows between the continents.
For his part, Limam Boussif, Director of one of the maritime companies in Dakhla, in an intervention on the same occasion, focused on the project of the Atlantic Port of Dakhla, as one of the pillars of the development model in the southern provinces, pointing out that “this new generation port, which has a financial envelope of more than 12 billion dirhams, integrates innovative solutions in renewable energies, low-carbon sea lanes, and the production of green fuels, which enhances the strategic location of the region and contributes to the achievement of Morocco’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.”
In the same context, the organizers of the forum praised the Moroccan participation, and considered it among the strongest in terms of the level of representation and quality of presentations, stressing that “the Kingdom is one of the most dynamic international partners in the field of maritime innovation along with China and the Netherlands,” and praised “Morocco’s advanced experience in valuing marine resources and linking economic development to environmental bets.”