Construction & Real Estate
From The Report: Morocco 2018
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Supported by housing demand and infrastructure plans, Morocco’s construction companies have been able to maintain steady performances despite the negative effects of a host of local and international factors. The economic downturn in Europe and regional instability have dampened investment flows to the sector in recent years, while lower levels of credit to the real estate industry from banks have posed additional challenges for mixed-use projects. The Moroccan real estate sector has seen a steady recovery from the 2008 financial crisis. While high-end housing and luxury developments took a hit, prices for quality developments have remained steady as foreigners and Moroccans living abroad continue to look to real estate as a secure investment with long-term prospects. The government has pushed to increase the number of affordable homes through a series of incentives for developers, while commercial and office space developments have become increasingly important.

This chapter contains interviews with Tarafa Marouane, Chairman, SOMED Group; and Selma Belkhayat, Managing Director, Aswaq Management Services Morocco.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Pushing forward: Infrastructure and housing development drive growth
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Supported by housing demand and infrastructure plans, Morocco’s construction companies have been able to maintain steady performances despite the negative effects of a host of local and international factors. The economic downturn in Europe and regional instability have dampened investment flows to the sector in recent years, while lower levels of credit to the real estate industry from banks have posed additional challenges on new mixed-use projects. In the transition from 2016 to 2017,…

Interview

Regionalising real estate: Tarafa Marouane, Chairman, SOMED Group, on investment relationships and improving national infrastructure
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Interview:Tarafa Marouane Which infrastructure projects are set to support growth in the Moroccan economy in 2018? TARAFA MAROUANE: The port of Nador will provide an opportunity for economic growth in Morocco’s Northern region, particularly in the Rif area. What could really boost the economy is highway infrastructure for the central region. The kingdom’s highway infrastructure primarily connects major urban centres near the Atlantic coast and in the central region such as Tangiers, Agadir,…

Overview

A path ahead: Government programmes look to reduce the housing deficit, while demand for high-quality office space picks up
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Although the impact of the 2008 global financial crisis can still be felt in Morocco’s real estate sector, signs of recovery are being seen in certain segments. While high-end housing and luxury developments took a hit, prices for quality developments have remained steady, as foreigners, domestic consumers and Moroccans living abroad continue to look to real estate as a secure investment with long-term prospects. Furthermore, the government’s push to increase the number of affordable…

Interview

Many markets: Selma Belkhayat, Managing Director, Aswaq Management Services (AMS) Morocco, on the diverse retail landscape
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Interview:Selma Belkhayat What trends are you seeing in terms of demand in the Moroccan retail real estate sector? SELMA BELKHAYAT: We are seeing a growing mall culture among consumers. This development has led to a more structured organisation of the retail market, which consisted formerly of street retail dispersed across various neighbourhoods. Increasingly, brands have been concentrating in commercial hubs, which led to the advent of the shopping mall format at the end of the 2000s. To…