Rabat – Bloomberg has joined the international wave of media coverage that headlined Morocco’s Mohammed VI Tower, a skyscraper that was officially opened to visitors on Monday.
Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan officially inaugurated the $700 million tower, seeking to contribute to Morocco’s development plans and ambition to boost tourism ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Bloomberg detailed that Othman Benjelloun, one of Morocco’s billionaires who is behind the project, drew inspiration from his visit to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1962.
“It was there he saw the Saturn V rocket being prepared for the Apollo 12 mission, the second successful attempt to land Americans on the moon,” Bloomberg wrote.
The 55-storey tower features a 55-room Waldorf Astoria hotel. It also includes a prime office and 30 apartments for sale, the news outlet added.
The location of the tower makes it strategic as it is nestled in the Bouregreg valley, a point of connection between Rabat and its twin city, Sale.
For Bloomberg, the tower is part of Morocco’s plan to advance the development of its capital, which attracts fewer visitors and foreign tourists, who often prefer Marrakech, Fez, or Agadir.
“That’s gradually changing, as authorities usher in new museums and galleries, building the profile of this mainly placid city of a half-million people as a hub for arts and culture,” the report added.
The tower joins other African skyscrapers, including Egypt’s Iconic Tower, which stands at 393.8 meters, in addition to the Tour F in Abidjan, which is designed to be the tallest in Africa at 421 meters upon completion.
Belgian construction firm BESIX announced the delivery of the tower on March 30. The company built it in a joint venture with Moroccan contractor TGCC under a Design & Build contract awarded in 2018 by O Tower, a subsidiary of O Capital Group, chaired by Benjelloun.
