Morocco-Italy: Businesses interested in opportunities in the Sahara
Italian companies say they are ready to invest in the southern provinces, particularly in fish curing, agricultural exports (especially tomatoes and citrus fruits) and tourism infrastructure.
Giulio Frascatani, President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Morocco (CCIM), told L’Economiste in an interview that “there are requests of this kind on my table”, pointing out that there is also interest in investing in green hydrogen. He added that there are currently “great opportunities” to produce fish and agricultural products and export them from southern Morocco to Italy.
At the time of going to press, however, the most southerly Italian investments were in Agadir, while a number of hotel groups were operating in Dakhla. Trade between Morocco and Italy mainly concerns fishing products, textiles and oil refining by-products. According to the most recent annual report of the Foreign Exchange Office (Office des Changes, 2023), Moroccan imports from Italy amounted to 34,433 million dirhams (USD 3,443 million). Exports amounted to 22,307 million dirhams (USD 2,230 million). According to a document from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this European country is the 3rd largest target market for Moroccan exports. The same source adds that Morocco is the 39th target market for Italian exports. “The CCIM’s role is also to increase trade flows between our two countries, especially in agriculture and agrochemicals”, added the president of this non-profit association, formerly a professional footballer for a major Italian team. «According to the same Italian diplomatic document, the country exported 154 million euros worth of textiles to Morocco. Italian haute couture garments, including Armani, Dolce Gabbana and Versace, are made in the Kingdom, namely in Casablanca and Tangiers. Giulio Frascatani explained that «Once the garment is finished, with an impeccable cut and all the buttons in place, it is sent back to Italy” «Tangiers is a city that does a lot of business with Italy. We have trucks that leave every day with Italian fashion shirts, jackets and pants. They arrive in Tangiers and they leave Tangiers «, he added.
Located on the Mediterranean, the port of Tanger-Med facilitates trade between Morocco and Italy, emphasized the president of the Chamber. He reported that he had been told that “fish leaving Morocco in the morning can be eaten in Milan around noon”, although he could not confirm this information. Asked about the European Union Court of Justice ruling of October 4, 2024, annulling the agricultural and fishing agreements with Morocco in the Sahara, he said that the Italian government had not expressed an opinion on the matter. The official also welcomed Morocco’s Atlantic initiative to open up the Sahel states, seeing it as an opportunity to strengthen ties between peoples and stimulate trade between continents.
An Italian company specializing in inflatable balloons is showing keen interest in the Moroccan market, particularly with a view to major sporting events such as the African Cup of Nations 2025 or the World Cup 2030. Samples were left on the desk of the President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Morocco.
A.O.
