Morocco is set to convert vast swathes in the Sahara into green productive areas. The government has launched a tender to bring in private investors to develop 5200 ha in Dakhla into irrigated productive farmland, providing jobs to locals and supplying the national market.
The agriculture ministry stated in a statement that the public-private partnership project will create 10,000 jobs and produce an agricultural output of up to 450,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables.
The project falls within the framework of Morocco’s development model for the southern provinces which also includes highways, renewable energy, boosting phosphates production, developing urban infrastructure and tourism as well as building the Dakhla Port, intended to bolster connectivity between Morocco and West Africa.
A desalination plant powered by a wind park will offer water needed for this project, which is intended to safeguard the region’s underground water.
The project will cost 2 billion dirhams. The private sector will contribute 470 million dirhams.
Source: north africa post