Highlights

​The mission was marked by the first meeting of the Technical Committee for the Development of the Blue Economy (BE) in Morocco, which officially launched work on drawing up the National Strategy for the Development of the Blue Economy (NSBE), by validating the roadmap and work plan proposed by the MEF.

The MEF, in conjunction with the wilayas of the Souss Massa and Tangier Tétouan Al Hoceima regions, also ran two regional workshops aimed at popularizing the program among local players and presenting technical assistance in designing coastal clusters and developing an integrated growth index for blue sectors.

The mission began with a plenary session attended by all partners, during which project progress was discussed, highlighting achievements to date and challenges ahead.

Coordination and steering: MEF shows leadership

In its role as program coordinator, the MEF presented the progress made both in terms of projects carried out by the various program stakeholders, and in terms of actions falling within its focus area. In this respect, the MEF announced the forthcoming launch of a blue economy web portal.

Investment and innovation for aquaculture

The National Aquaculture Development Agency “ANDA” has highlighted its commitment with a total budget of 116 million dirhams for the period 2023-2027, focusing on three main areas: the development of 14 aquaculture farms (four of which are run by women), seaweed cultivation and the creation of a shrimp cluster. The year 2023 was marked by the launch of the first aquaculture farms scheduled for 2024, enabling the target for that year to be met.

Scientific Foundations for Sustainable Management

The National Institute for Fisheries Research “INRH” continues to provide a solid scientific basis for the management of fisheries resources, with a commitment to analyse 17 fish stocks by the end of the program.  With a record 325 days at sea in 2023 for offshore campaigns, and 180 for inshore campaigns, the INRH bears witness to the efforts made in scientific research and the sustainable management of fishery resources.

Protection and Development of Marine Protected Areas

The DPM (Sea Fishing Department) has made significant progress in setting up and reclassifying Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). In particular, the Souss Massa region MPA illustrates the concrete application of the Maritime Spatial Planning process, an initiative aimed at balancing the needs of environmental protection with those of economic and social development. 171 fishermen and women have received training on the importance of MPAs.

Concerning the creation of the Agadir MPA, the public inquiry procedure was closed on January 14, 2024, and the department has 90 days to examine the remarks entered in the registers. In addition, a public consultation was held on February 27, 2024 in Larache, bringing together 84 stakeholders in favor of establishing an MPA in this region, underlining strong support for the sustainable development of fishing.

Tourism SMEs at the heart of the Blue Economy

With regard to projects supported by SMIT (Moroccan Society for Tourism Engineering), i.e. the creation and transformation of tourism SMEs, it is worth noting the creation and operationalization of two Regional Development Companies (RDC) in the regions of Tangier Tétouan Al Hoceima and Guelmim Oued Noun. These two RDCs are in addition to the one already operational in the Souss Massa region.

Projects to create and transform tourism SMEs involve 100 SMEs in Guelmim Oued Noun, 150 in the Sous Massa region, and 600 in Tangier, with a particular focus on gender mainstreaming and raising women's awareness of entrepreneurship in SMEs.

In the Agadir Sous Massa region, field visits were organized to assess the physical achievements of four tourism projects that benefited from the first tourism RDC SME (SMART Tourism) call for projects.

For blue tourism

The ONMT (Moroccan National Tourist Office) has also implemented large-scale advertising campaigns, notably "Maroc-Terre de Lumière" and "Ntla9awfbladna", which have generated an impressive impact with contacts amounting to 66,967,883 and 428,465,579 respectively for the period January to December 2023. Ongoing campaigns and posts on social networks further promoted the seaside destinations, reaching millions more contacts thanks to ongoing efforts on digital platforms and contributions from influencers.

In total, the ONMT 's initiatives reached 276,438,855 contacts, highlighting Morocco's seaside attractions to a wide national and international audience.

Coastal ecosystem monitoring

The DPDPM (Ports and Maritime Public Domain Department) is continuing its efforts to monitor the coastline through the acquisition, assessment and interpretation of very high-resolution satellite images. At the time of the mission, 320,000 hectares had been assessed, with projects underway to reach a total of 3,947,000 hectares by the end of the program. This approach, enriched by technical assistance for accurate coastline calculations, underlines the DPDPM 's commitment to informed, sustainable management of Morocco's coastal zones.

Beach Watch and Communication

As part of its "Beach Monitoring" indicator, the DDD (Department of Sustainable Development) carried out all field campaigns to monitor water and sand quality, as well as beach classification according to current standards. At the same time, the DDD reviewed and adapted its communication plan to better integrate and coordinate activities related to coastal protection, with particular emphasis on the use of digital platforms and the production of newsletters. In addition, the program has included marine pollution simulation exercises (Simulex) and specialized training, demonstrating a significant increase in the number of people trained in marine and coastal environment management (1,295 by the end of 2023).

Coastal Restoration and Conservation

Under the program, National Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF) has restored 200 hectares of coastal forest and fixed 60 hectares of coastal dunes, demonstrating its commitment to the conservation and sustainable use of coastal and marine resources.

Field visits to the Souss Massa region also provided an opportunity to examine ongoing projects, assess their impact and talk to some of the beneficiaries of the Bank's intervention.

In its report, the mission welcomed the progress made over the past four months, and underlined the Government's commitment to the sustainable development of coastal and marine areas. The joint efforts of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the World Bank and other national entities demonstrate a firm commitment to promoting a resilient blue economy, marking a promising step towards achieving Morocco's sustainable development goals.