SIAM 2026: A Major International Agricultural Platform with Expanding Global Participation

The International Agriculture Show in Morocco (SIAM), one of Africa’s largest agricultural events and a key global platform for agricultural policy dialogue and business exchange, will hold its 18th edition in the city of Meknes from 20 to 28 April 2026. The event is expected to bring together approximately 1,500 exhibitors from 70 countries, alongside more than 1.1 million visitors, confirming its status as a major international hub for agriculture and agri-food cooperation.

The 2026 edition will also feature more than 40 thematic conferences and a wide range of B2B meetings, showcasing innovations across agricultural value chains. The event has been extended to nine days to accommodate its growing international reach and increasing participation from both professionals and the public, and will place Portugal as guest of honor, further reinforcing its international dimension and the strengthening of Euro-Mediterranean agricultural cooperation.

Morocco Strengthens Its Strategic Role in Global Fertilizer Supply and Phosphate Leadership

In a context of heightened geopolitical tensions and increasing pressure on global agricultural input markets, Morocco continues to consolidate its position as a systemic player in the global phosphate and fertilizer industry. The country holds approximately 70% of the world’s known phosphate reserves, making it the undisputed global leader in phosphate rock resources.

Morocco is currently among the world’s top three exporters of phosphate fertilizers, with annual exports of fertilizers and phosphate derivatives reaching tens of millions of tonnes, and generating billions of dollars in export revenues, making phosphates one of the country’s most strategic export pillars alongside automotive and aeronautics. This industrial strength allows Morocco to play a stabilizing role in global food security, particularly for import-dependent regions in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

A recent statement from Washington highlighted Morocco as a reliable and essential supplier in global fertilizer supply chains, while India, one of the world’s largest agricultural economies has increased its reliance on Moroccan fertilizers to secure its food production systems amid global supply uncertainties. Similar trends are visible across multiple African countries, where Morocco has significantly expanded its presence as a key supplier of affordable and stable fertilizers, particularly through tailored cooperation programs and long-term supply agreements.

Aeronautics: Morocco Moves toward a “Made-in-Morocco” Aircraft by 2030

Morocco is accelerating the development of its aeronautics industry with the ambitious objective of producing a fully “Made-in-Morocco” aircraft by 2030. Building on two decades of rapid industrial growth, the Kingdom is already capable of manufacturing approximately 40–42% of aircraft components, supplying major global players such as Airbus and Boeing. This new phase aims to move beyond subcontracting toward full industrial integration, including the production of high-value components such as engines, with initial milestones targeted around 2027.

The project represents an investment of approximately 460 million AUD, designed to support the scaling-up of production of short- and medium-haul aircraft. The sector also benefits from the presence of leading international players such as Safran and Mecachrome, the French industrial company specialized in high-precision engineering and manufacturing and supplier to both Boeing and Airbus.

Tourism Sector Maintains Strong Momentum and Ambitious Growth Targets

The tourism sector records 4.3 million visitors in the first quarter of 2026, confirming its role as a key driver of economic growth and employment in Morocco. This positive trend is part of a broader upward trajectory supported by strengthened air connectivity, upgraded tourism offerings, and diversified source markets.

In this regard, Morocco’s air transport sector reached a historic milestone in 2025, with 36.3 million passengers handled, marking an 11% increase year-on-year and reflecting the success of long-term strategies to enhance connectivity and position the country as a regional aviation hub.

Looking ahead, Morocco has set ambitious targets for 2026, aiming to reach 22 million visitors and 22.5 billion AUD tourism revenues, underscoring strong confidence in the sector’s continued expansion and its strategic importance within the national economy.

AI Data Center Megaproject in Nouaceur: Morocco Strengthens Its Digital Infrastructure Push

Morocco is set to host a major artificial intelligence data center megaproject in the Nouaceur region, near the city of Casablanca, representing an investment estimated at around 1.9 billion AUD.

The project, led by an international consortium including Nexus Core Systems and global technology partners, aims to develop a next-generation infrastructure with a planned capacity of up to 500 megawatts, positioning it among the largest AI-oriented data centers in the region.

The facility will rely entirely on renewable energy, supplied notably through strategic partnerships with energy operators such as TAQA Morocco, a major private electricity producer in Morocco, and one of the most important players in the country’s energy system, reinforcing the country’s commitment to green digital infrastructure. The project also integrates advanced technologies provided by global leaders in computing and cloud infrastructure, and is designed to support high-performance computing, artificial intelligence workloads, and sovereign cloud services.

Strategically located near Casablanca, the site benefits from Morocco’s geographic proximity to Europe and its connectivity to international submarine fiber-optic cables, making it a key node in emerging global data flows. This initiative confirms Morocco’s ambition to establish itself as a regional digital and AI hub at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Morocco–European Union Digital Dialogue: Strengthening Cooperation on Artificial Intelligence

Morocco and the European Union are deepening their strategic cooperation in the digital field through a structured dialogue focused on artificial intelligence, data governance, and innovation ecosystems. In this context, Morocco aims to generate approximately 18 billion AUD in GDP from artificial intelligence by 2030, reflecting its ambition to position itself as a leading AI hub in Africa and the Mediterranean.

A key operational pillar of this partnership is high-performance computing (HPC). Four major European supercomputing centers BSC (Spain), CINECA (Italy), GENCI (France), and LUMI (Finland), have signed a letter of intent with the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Morocco (UM6P). This collaboration will enable UM6P, which already hosts the most powerful supercomputer in Africa, to connect with the European Union’s AI “factories,” significantly enhancing joint research capacity and computational power sharing.

This initiative coincides with the 30th anniversary of the EU–Morocco Association Agreement (1996) and aligns with the broader “Pact for the Mediterranean” launched in late 2025.