Special Economic Zones in the OIC Region:
Learning from Experience
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Box 38 – Siemens Gamesa Interview – Tanger Automotive City
5.4.6 Summary Success Factors
Governance
5.4.6.1 Political stability
Investors are usually more inclined to invest in politically stable environments. This ensures
smoother operation, reduced uncertainties and more robust trading relationships. Overall,
political stability is a pre-requisite for a business-friendly environment and reduces the risk
profile of any investment.
5.4.6.2 Strong vision and government support
Direct involvement of Government officials in attracting and supporting foreign investors has
been crucial in attracting high-visibility anchor tenants to the zones. The regional and national
visions were developed around the economic potential of the SEZ development, which also
included large-scale infrastructure developments in the country.
5.4.6.3 Administrative support and facilitation from central entity (TMSA)
TMSA’s work has been crucial in facilitating the setting up and operation of new activities in the
site. This single administrative unit allows linking up of all the zone specific agencies and their
subsidiaries, allowing for efficient administrative processes and optimisation of resources.
5.4.6.4 Use of Public-Private Partnerships
The use of public-private partnerships as a fundamental aspect of both the development and
operation of Tanger Med Zones has been used to great success. The TMSA is a public – private
partnership and the agency has a number of subsidiaries such as TME and TMU which follow
the same structure. The use of PPP’s has enabled the private sector to invest in the development
of Tanger Med Zones and to participate in the operation of facilities such as Tanger Med Port.
This has bought private sector expertise to Tanger Med Zones and has resulted in the successful
An interview with Siemens Gamesa identified that the Tanger Med’s skilled labour force was a
key factor in the decision to invest within the Tanger Automotive City zone. Siemens have their
own training facility and have so far trained over 500 workers during the current start-up phase.
The facility will eventually export blade turbines to Europe.
Other identified reasons for investment included the provision of bespoke infrastructure to
enable the facility to export blade turbines to the port easily and efficiently. This included
bespoke design of the highway access to allow turbines to be transported via specialist trucks to
the Tanger Med Port.