In Just a Decade,Tangier Managed to Become a Major Industrial Zone: Spanish Media

Rabat – The northern city of Tangier has established itself as the gateway to Africa in one of the most dynamic countries in the region, according to Spanish business newspaper Cinco Dias.

According to the business paper the city has managed to reinvent its development strategy in just a decade in order to become the gateway to Africa and an industrial platform connected to the world.

Introducing the northern city and its emblematic history, Cinco Dias  said that  people who already visited Tangier have explored “a city of memory, equally divided, of counterculture and marginality, with a clear evidence of development in terms of green areas, residential areas, urban planning, high-speed rail, transport and hotels.”


Cinco Dias believes that the progress of the city was not a “coincidence.” The development of the city came as a result of the policies proposed by King Mohammed VI to develop the region.

In this regard, the Spanish newspaper underscored the importance of the 10-year old Tanger  Med Port, which is internationally considered as one of the major ports in the world.

According to the  Spanish source, Spanish business people have an “irresistible temptation” to invest in the Tangier region. Fifty-eight Spanish firms have already launched their projects in the city, including Antolin Group (specializing in the manufacture of cars pieces” said the newspaper.

In this regard, the newspaper has quoted the General Director of Antolin Group,  Jesus Pascual Santos who said that “Morocco is one of the most attractive countries in Africa, with a GDP showing sustained growth, political stability, good infrastructure and a
a geostrategic situation that links between Africa and Europe.”

Santos has also lauded the efforts carried out by Morocco to attract more foreign investors, adding that the investments made by the group Antolin, operating in Morocco since 2005, have resulted in a platform of excellence.

He further states that Antolin established a center in Morocco, which is part of the Antolin design network. With the aid of advanced technology, the center has been helping customers in the development of their projects.

Speaking about the Moroccan staff working in favor of the center,  Santos said that the Moroccan technicians  “have demonstrated great professional competence in developing the doors of the Renault Captur model manufactured in Spain.” Antolin’s General Directory added that the center aims at improving the staff capabilities in order “to have an increasingly qualified workforce and to attract projects with a higher technological value.”

The newspaper recalled in its publication that the Tangier Med port hub is attracting several industrial projects, including Tangier’s Free Zone, Tanger Automotive City, Renault Tanger Med, Tetouan Park and Tetouan Shore.

The newspaper also mentioned other major businesses that chose to invest in Tangier, including Suardiaz, Alsa and Siemens Gamesa.

The president of Renault Morocco, Marc Nassif,  described the city’s industrial ecosystem as “excellent,”  while Ala Maroc’s  general manager Alberto Perez welcomed the success of his business, which has been operating in the city since 1999 in several cities. The
success, according to Perez, is a result of the services and collaboration offered by the Moroccan government.

Quoted by the newspaper, Siemens Gamesa Managing Director Markus Tacke said that Tangier plant is “fundamental” to the group’s development, adding that its construction follows a business logic.

Tacke reinforced his argument, saying that  Siemens Gamesa invests in countries offering great business opportunities, noting that such opportunities “are present more than ever today in Morocco.”