Special Economic Zones in the OIC Region:
Learning from Experience
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Figure 25 - Tanger Med Industrial Platform Overview
Source: Tanger Med Special Agency (TMSA) 2017
In total, the Tanger Med Zones extend over a total land area of 3,000ha and constitute a platform
for regional competitiveness in the industrial, logistics, services and trade sectors. The zones are
ideally located, at only 14km from Spain and situated on the Strait of Gibraltar which offers the
platform of unique comparative advantages with regards to access to European, African, Asian,
North American and South American shipping routes. It is estimated that approximately 20% of
global maritime trade passes through the Strait of Gibraltar, thus providing Tangier port with a
naturally advantageous location for stop-overs and exports to Europe and the rest of the world.
This has resulted in the port rapidly becoming a transhipment hub within the region.
Vision and Objectives
In July 2002, on the occasion of the Speech from the Throne, the decision to establish a “ major
structural, port, commercial and industrial complex on the banks of the Strait, east of Tangier” was
taken by His Majesty King Mohammed VI. His Majesty committed Morocco to a long-term
project, punctuated by the gradual commissioning of the various infrastructures of the project,
opening the way for the accelerated development and improved competitiveness of the
Moroccan economy.