A real lever for the blossoming of an environment of Research & Development and innovation, this new City bears witness to the Royal High Solicitude in favor of the Souss-Massa region and to the Sovereign's desire to establish the region as the Kingdom's central economic hub, capable of creating jobs for young people and ensuring inclusive growth at the service of citizens.

Located within the premises of Ibn Zohr University, the City of Innovation Souss-Massa provides the Region with a technological infrastructure, encouraging entrepreneurship and the creation of innovative start-ups through the incubation process, the exploitation of the results of scientific research for the benefit of the economic sectors and industrial ecosystems of the Region and the transfer of technology and rapprochement between companies and R&D structures.

This pilot project, the implementation of which required a budget of MAD 42 million, includes innovative companies and startups, a Research and Development Centre housing laboratories for "Identification and analysis of natural entities", "Biotechnology and health", "Residue analysis", "Climate change and sustainable development", "Water, energy and renewable energies" and "LAB industry".

There are also meeting, conference, computer and training rooms, a co-working space and a documentation area, as well as a one-stop shop to facilitate administrative procedures for businesses.

Equipped with new-generation platform, this City has witnessed the installation of twenty structures, including 14 start-ups, three clusters (Agadir Haliopôle, Agrotech, Logipôle) and three support structures (Réseau Entreprendre-Agadir, Associations initiatives Souss-Massa, X-HUB).

In addition to the City of Innovation, the regional version of the Industrial Acceleration Plan provides for the creation of a Technopark (MAD 55 million) intended for SMEs and start-ups in the information and communication technologies sector. The construction works of this Technopark are in progress and the major works have been carried out at 95 pc.

Also as part of the implementation of the regional version of the Industrial Acceleration Plan, reception infrastructures, adapted to the service of investors and entrepreneurship, are being deployed and represent an overall land base of approximately 380 ha, including 305 ha for the Industrial Acceleration Zone.

The first phase of this zone, covering 64 ha, is 80% complete and will be commissioned in July 2020. It will provide investors with infrastructure that meets international standards and is competitively priced. Land is already allocated to 3 industrial projects totaling 2,016 direct jobs and an investment of MAD 461 million.

This Industrial Acceleration Zone will also benefit from the North-East bypass expressway project, which will be carried out within the framework of the urban development program of the city of Agadir 2020-2024, launched by HM King Mohammed VI last Tuesday. This road will enable a direct link to be created between the Agadir-Al Massira airport, the Industrial Acceleration Zone and the port of Agadir.

The industrial infrastructure will in particular be strengthened by the development of an integrated industrial park.

The entry into service of an Innovation City will thus further boost the good dynamics of companies in Greater Agadir and strengthen the momentum of industrial development in the region thanks to the regional version of the Industrial Acceleration Plan which is itself part of the implementation of the process of advanced regionalization.

To date, 211 industrial projects are being monitored, with a total projected investment of MAD 8.2 billion, ensuring 29,222 direct jobs. 187 projects are either operational, being implemented or relocated to the new developed areas. They will create 19,346 direct jobs, i.e. 81 pc of the objective set.

On this occasion, minister of Industry, Trade, and Green and Digital Economy handed to HM King Mohammed VI a box set containing a book entitled "Industrial Morocco, a Royal Vision. 20 years of acceleration".