Government allocates Dh26 billion to complete ongoing projects in the East

Economy of the East

The Eastern Province is poised to complete a huge wave of investment projects underway between 2026 and 2028. The draft Finance Law includes ambitious budgets for these diverse public investment projects aimed at strengthening infrastructure and improving basic services in the region. These projects cover vital sectors such as higher education, health, infrastructure and culture, reflecting the state's commitment to balanced regional development.

Higher Education and University Structure

The higher education sector occupies a prominent place among the programmed projects. The Higher School of Education and Training in Oujda is being built and equipped with a capacity of 4,400 seats, at a total cost of 151 million dirhams. The cumulative physical completion rate of the project has reached 55 percent, with a performance budget of 12 million dirhams in 2026, rising to 15 million dirhams in 2027 and 5 million dirhams in 2028.

The Mohamed I University in Oujda is also witnessing the construction of an Africa House with a capacity of 250 beds to receive African and Moroccan students, as well as the expansion and upgrading of the university's sports complex. This project requires an investment of 140 million dirhams, and its physical completion rate has reached 45 percent, with an allocation of 30 million dirhams for 2026.

The Health Sector and the Challenge of Modernization

The health sector is receiving special attention among the investment projects underway in the Eastern Province. The Dh913 million reconstruction of the Oujda Regional Hospital Center is progressing at a good pace with a cumulative physical completion rate of 80%. The center will have a clinical capacity of 250 beds, with performance funds programmed to reach 213 million dirhams in 2026.

In Nador, the regional hospital center is being rebuilt at an estimated cost of 561 million dirhams with a similar bed capacity of 250 beds. The physical completion rate has reached 30 percent, with 60 million dirhams allocated for both 2026 and 2027.

Major Infrastructure

Infrastructure projects are the backbone of economic development in the eastern region. The Gersif-Nador highway is one of the most prominent strategic projects at an estimated total cost of 7,800 million dirhams. This road extends 104 kilometers with two double lanes and aims to accompany the Nador West Mediterranean Port project, with performance funds of 1,000 million dirhams programmed in 2026.

The new West Mediterranean port of Nador is a mega project at a cost of 11590 million dirhams, which includes the construction of a 4,300-meter-long main bulkhead and a 1,200-meter-long secondary bulkhead, the construction of five berths, including three for oil with a depth of 22 meters, and the development of an industrial and logistical zone on an area of 760 hectares. This project is complemented by the bending of National Road No. 2 over a distance of 70 kilometers at a cost of 1,500 million dirhams, as the project has reached the request for proposals stage.

Water Resources and Dams

The investment program attaches great importance to water security, with the construction of the Tarka Omadi dam with a normal storage capacity of 287 million cubic meters at a cost of 1,467.7 million dirhams. The physical completion rate has reached 79 percent, with 204.4 million dirhams allocated for 2026.

The Mohammed V Dam is also undergoing an elevation project at an estimated cost of 1,257 million dirhams to raise its normal storage capacity to 980 million cubic meters. The physical completion rate has reached 65 percent, with 359 million dirhams programmed for 2026.

Culture and Religious Affairs

The investment program did not neglect the cultural and religious aspect, allocating 380 million dirhams to strengthen cultural infrastructures and diversify the cultural offer in the eastern region, with the aim of protecting local heritage and encouraging artistic creativity. In addition, the religious and cultural complex in Jerada is being built at a cost of 65.2 million dirhams, including three religious pavilions and a cultural and administrative pavilion, with a physical completion rate of 45 percent.

Within the framework of supporting the local economy, 550 million dirhams have been allocated for the modernization and reconstruction of markets in the eastern region, in a move aimed at valuing local trade and regional heritage.

These investment projects reflect the great ambition to develop the eastern region and turn it into an integrated economic and social pole that contributes to improving the quality of life of citizens and opens promising prospects for sustainable development.