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The mayor of Montpellier, Michaël Delafosse, on Tuesday called on French businesses to take advantage of the investment opportunities opening up in Morocco.
“We must pay close attention to the promising development dynamic underway in Morocco and support the opportunities the country presents,” Delafosse said during an Economic Day organized in Montpellier in coordination with Morocco’s Consulate General.
Highlighting Morocco’s large-scale projects across several regions – particularly in the southern provinces – Delafosse pointed to renewable energy, healthcare, audiovisual production, decarbonization, and transport as “very promising fields for the future of our partnership.”
“There is still much we can build together through a win-win vision in key sectors. Economic actors, in particular, are invited to accompany this new momentum in bilateral relations,” added Delafosse, who also heads Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole.
Recalling his recent visit to several Moroccan cities, the mayor underlined the significant potential for development and investment in Dakhla, a region that has already attracted the interest of numerous operators from Montpellier.
Also present at the gathering, held on the sidelines of the Arabesques Festival – where Morocco is guest of honor – the director of the Port of Sète Sud de France, Olivier Carmes, emphasized the need to further enhance port services as a lever to boost tourism and trade across the Mediterranean.
Carmes noted that the Port of Sète is not only a transit point for more than 150,000 travelers annually to Morocco, but also a vital import-export hub, particularly in the dynamic automotive sector. “It is now equally necessary to expand freight activity with Morocco, which is emerging as a regional hub of major importance,” he said.
On the same note, Jalil Benabdillah, vice president of the Occitanie Region in charge of the economy, stressed the central role of decentralized cooperation and territorial diplomacy in advancing the exceptional Morocco-France relationship.
This growing interest from French business circles – especially in the Montpellier region – is also reflected in the creation of the Morocco-Occitanie Club, designed to foster a favorable environment for cross-border business flows, Benabdillah explained.
The economic forum, attended by Morocco’s Consul General in Montpellier, Soumia Bouhamidi, featured roundtables focused on flagship sectors of cooperation between the French region and Morocco.
Discussions centered on supporting industrial collaboration in strategic fields such as cultural and creative industries, renewable energy and hydrogen, AI in healthcare, and the decarbonization of air and maritime transport.
Representatives from Occitanie, the city of Montpellier, Moroccan and French business leaders, as well as institutions including the Moroccan Agency for Investment and Export Development (AMDIE), also took part in the event.
The forum was held ahead of the 20th edition of the Arabesques Festival, which this year dedicates a major part of its program to Moroccan artists, offering audiences a deep dive into the richness of Arab culture.
MWN with MAP
