Regional Investment Centre

New and the first of its kind in Morocco

Regional Investment Centre

Casablanca, a better place to invest, to work and to live

James Williams wrote from Casablanca:

The Centre will assist with the registration of a company in Morocco and aims to cut the time of doing this to a week or less. They have consolidated within the Centre, representatives from all the different departments which one formerly had to deal with in order to register a company. There is now a 'one-stop-shop', which can take care of all the administrative paperwork in a new and vastly streamlined service. To be continued here

Casablanca is a surprisingly modern city, with wide boulevards, tall white buildings, and efficient maintenance. The commerce capital of the country, it combines its cosmopolitan atmosphere with the charm of its old quarter and central market. Combining famous sites such as the Royal Palace and Mohammed V Square with popular restaurants and clubs, it offers an adventure with every visit.

Beside this, it is also an immense and huge business center of the whole country, with its very animated largest-African port and international airport active all year long. A great place to live and a wonderful strategic position from where you can do business with the neighboring European Union and the whole African continent. Closer integration with the European Union (EU), through the Association Agreement, provides an important opportunity for boosting economic momentum.

Today, there is another reason to come visit Casablanca to meet Mouâad Jamai, one of the younger generation of successful Moroccan entrepreneurs who was brought in to establish, set up and run the Regional Investment Centre and its newly equipped offices in 60 Avenue Hassan II. The centre was inaugurated just few weeks ago by His Majesty King Mohammed VI. The offices reflect the aims of the Centre. They are modern, open plan, clean and efficient. Their design and finishing are to the very best of Moroccan standards and they are equipped with the most advanced technology available.

Mr. Jamai's objectives are simple; "We want to make it easy for people to set up a business in Casablanca and we are here to help them. Secondly we want to make Casablanca an attractive place for people to invest in".

How is the centre going to achieve this? The Centre has a five-point objective. The first two points are, as Mr. Jamai puts it, 'purely technical'. 

The Centre will assist with the registration of a company in Morocco and aims to cut the time of doing this to a week or less. They have consolidated within the Centre, representatives from all the different departments which one formerly had to deal with in order to register a company. There is now a 'one-stop-shop', which can take care of all the administrative paperwork in a new and vastly streamlined service.

The Centre offers investors a service which can provide them with all necessary information about the region from the potential local market to the availability of development sites, the availability of local services and supplies, the availability of labor as well as assistance in finding local consultants and expertise where required. In this respect, the Centre wants to offer an 'after-sales service', not just help investors set up business but to be there and able to offer help, assistance and advice once the business has been established.

The other three objectives are all connected with the promotion of Casablanca and Morocco in the Global Market.

The Centre has to inform people and companies of the changes that are taking place in Morocco and the reduction in import tariffs by 2010. In a global Market, Mr. Jamai sees Casablanca as having much to offer in terms of communications and its strategic position as a link between the America, Europe, Africa and the Arab markets. The Centre hopes to help globally strategic companies but at the same time, study the market to establish a clear target strategy for development in the region.