Morocco infrastructure: the dams, ports and roads record before 2026
A 2021-2026 government review shows dams, ports and roads completed for tens of billions of dirhams, while major projects remain unfinished ahead of Morocco's 2026 elections.
As Morocco's current government approaches the end of its term ahead of the legislative elections planned for 2026, a review of major infrastructure projects carried out between 2021 and 2026 shows water, road and port projects worth tens of billions of dirhams completed, while a significant share of these projects remains unfinished and will be handed over to the next government.
Seawater desalination and dams: a sharp capacity increase
Seawater desalination capacity rose from 45 to 410 million cubic meters per year across 17 plants, including in Agadir-Chtouka Aït Baha, Safi, Jorf Lasfar, Sidi Ifni, Guerguarate, Laâyoune and Tarfaya, with a target of more than 1.7 billion cubic meters per year by 2030. Nearly 950 million cubic meters of water were also transferred between the Sebou and Bouregreg basins between September 2023 and December 2025.
On dams, the government completed 9 major dams and four others reached early filling, for a total storage capacity of nearly 2 billion cubic meters, while 14 large dams remain under construction and will extend beyond the current legislative term:
| Dam | Status |
|---|---|
| Kaddoussa | Completed |
| Tiddas | Completed |
| Todgha | Completed |
| Agdez | Completed |
| Fask | Completed |
| M'dez | Completed |
| Koudiat El Borna | Completed |
| Ghiss | Completed |
| Sakia El Hamra | Completed |
| Tamri | Early filling |
| Aït Ziat | Early filling |
| Sidi Abbou | Early filling |
| Béni Azimane | Early filling |
Highways and rural roads
The expressway network grew by 885 additional kilometers to reach 2,335 km by April 2026, led by the Tiznit-Dakhla corridor (1,055 km with 16 engineering structures, for 8.8 billion dirhams), the tripling of the Casablanca-Berrechid road (October 2024) and the widening of the Tit Mellil-Berrechid section over 30 km for 2.5 billion dirhams (November 2025). In rural areas, 5,829 of the 15,071 planned kilometers were rehabilitated, a 97% completion rate, benefiting around 2.97 million residents.
Several major projects remain under way, notably the additional Rabat-Casablanca highway (59 km, 6.5 billion dirhams, expected by late 2028), the Guercif-Nador road (104 km, 7.9 billion dirhams) and the Tichka tunnel (about 10 km, 10 billion dirhams), whose studies are at an advanced stage.
Major ports: from Nador West Med to Dakhla Atlantique
Major port projects show uneven progress, while total cargo traffic through Moroccan ports rose from 192.1 million tons in 2021 to 262.6 million tons in 2025, bringing total annual capacity to about 390 million tons:
| Port | Investment (billion MAD) | Completion |
|---|---|---|
| Nador West Med | 11.59 | Fully completed |
| Dakhla Atlantique | 12.65 | 66% |
| Laâyoune phosphate port | — | 95.7% |
| Moulay Youssef breakwater extension, Casablanca | — | 94.5% |
| Safi port (OCP group, phase 2) | — | 73% |
Why this matters now
In the current electoral context, this record carries a direct political weight: the government raised the budget of the national water and irrigation program from 115 to 143 billion dirhams through fund reallocation, and completed 3,975 public facility projects (hospitals, health centers, schools, courts, sports facilities) worth a total of 43.07 billion dirhams between 2021 and 2026, including the Ibn Sina Hospital in Rabat and Laâyoune's university hospital center. Whichever government emerges from the 2026 elections will inherit a dual legacy: infrastructure worth billions of dirhams already completed, and major projects still open — the 14 dams, the Dakhla port and the Tichka tunnel — whose pace of completion will determine the credibility of campaign promises tied to large-scale projects.