HIBAPRESS – Mohamed Zariouh
At a time when the Nador region is awaiting a new economic launch capable of creating job opportunities and driving the wheel of development, and despite the royal directives and what the region knows of major projects, dozens of private investment projects are still stalled, despite their financial and social importance, in a situation that raises a lot of concern among investors and those interested in regional affairs.
According to responsible sources, more than 40 private projects, estimated to be worth billions of dirhams, are still frozen and have not yet seen the light, although they are mainly directed to the Nador region, and were relied upon to give a strong boost to economic and social development in the region.
Although these projects specifically concern Nador, the licensing and administrative endorsement procedures pass through the Regional Investment Center in Oujda, as it is the competent authority in studying the files and endorsing the licenses related to the region's projects, which makes this center at the heart of this complex investment file.
The available data confirms that the Regional Investment Center in Oujda is making tremendous efforts to accompany these files and push them towards settlement, with the guidance of the Wali of the Eastern Region, who attaches special importance to this investment workshop in view of its promising prospects for the benefit of the Nador region.
However, these efforts, according to the same sources, are encountering real constraints related to the absence of endorsement by the Marchica Agency on a number of licenses, which has caused the obstruction of exceptional projects that were ready to launch, and has put a number of investors in a cycle of waiting and ambiguity.
Investors believe that the problem is not only related to normal administrative procedures, but also goes beyond that to the absence of a clear strategy on the part of the Marchica Agency in dealing with these files, which has negatively affected the investment climate and the confidence of the private sector wishing to launch their projects within the region.
Followers confirm that the continuation of this situation not only affects the project owners, but also deprives Nador of real development opportunities, which would have contributed to the creation of direct and indirect jobs, improving the economic cycle, and enhancing the attractiveness of the region as a promising investment hub in the Eastern region.
In contrast, a number of local actors commend the efforts made by the regional authorities, headed by the Wali of the Eastern Region, along with the Regional Investment Center in Oujda, in order to find practical solutions to this file, but this dynamic, in their words, needs greater interaction from the various stakeholders, especially with regard to deciding on the issue of endorsing licenses.
In the face of this situation, a number of investors demand that this file be opened seriously and responsibly, and that an end be put to the state of stagnation that affects projects worth billions of dirhams, stressing that the Nador region needs today more than ever clear and courageous decisions that translate the efforts made into projects on the ground, restore confidence to investors and open the door to real and sustainable development.
