New Development Program for Morocco’s Agadir

King Mohammed VI at the launching ceremony of the Agadir urban development program (2020-2024). Moroccan news agency MAP
King Mohammed VI at the launching ceremony of the Agadir urban development program (2020-2024). Moroccan news agency MAP
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New Development Program for Morocco’s Agadir

King Mohammed VI at the launching ceremony of the Agadir urban development program (2020-2024). Moroccan news agency MAP
King Mohammed VI at the launching ceremony of the Agadir urban development program (2020-2024). Moroccan news agency MAP

Morocco has unveiled a new program worth MAD6 billion (USD632 million) to develop the coastal city of Agadir.

Morocco's King Mohammed VI led the signing of the framework agreement on the urban development program of Agadir (2020-2024) by 11 Moroccan ministers in addition to governors and heads of elected councils as well as Alomran Group.

The program aims at making the city a top tourist destination, said Minister of Interior Abdelouafi Laftit.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Laftit made a briefing on the general framework of the program developed in line with the king's November speech on the occasion of the 44th anniversary of the Green March.

The king had called for the development of basic infrastructure in the Souss-Massa region, including its road network and the establishment of a rail link between Marrakesh and Agadir.

Laftit said Tuesday the program sets a new stage for the economic and social development of Agadir.

It also seeks to improve human development indices and the people’s living conditions, in addition to strengthening basic infrastructure, including the city's road network.

Highlighting the region's economic advantages, Laftit said it can become an attractive and competitive economic hub.

Morocco has launched several similar programs such as Rabat City of Light, Moroccan Capital of Culture, Tangiers-Metropolis, Marrakesh, City of permanent Renewal, the urban development Plan of Greater Casablanca, Al-Hoceima, Manarat Al Moutawassit, and the new development model of the southern provinces.



Egypt, Cyprus Sign Gas Export Deals, Boosting Eastern Mediterranean Energy Cooperation

The logo of Italian energy company Eni is seen at a gas station in Rome, Italy August 16, 2018. (Reuters)
The logo of Italian energy company Eni is seen at a gas station in Rome, Italy August 16, 2018. (Reuters)
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Egypt, Cyprus Sign Gas Export Deals, Boosting Eastern Mediterranean Energy Cooperation

The logo of Italian energy company Eni is seen at a gas station in Rome, Italy August 16, 2018. (Reuters)
The logo of Italian energy company Eni is seen at a gas station in Rome, Italy August 16, 2018. (Reuters)

Egypt and Cyprus signed agreements on Monday enabling the export of gas from Cyprus's offshore fields to Egypt for liquefaction and re-export to Europe, as both countries seek to bolster the Eastern Mediterranean's role as an energy hub.

The deals signed at the 2025 Egypt Energy Show formalize a long-anticipated plan to link Cypriot reserves to Egypt’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, a move that leverages Egypt’s existing infrastructure to process and ship natural gas to European markets.

Monday's agreements involve gas extracted from one Cypriot site, Cronos Block 6 - now under license to a consortium of Italy's Eni and France's Total - to be processed at Egypt's Zohr facilities before being liquefied at Damietta and exported to Europe.

A second memorandum of understanding outlines a framework of processing gas from Cyprus' offshore Aphrodite field, under license to a Chevron-led consortium, which will also be sent to Egypt for processing.

The east Mediterranean has yielded some major gas discoveries in recent years, while a disruption in energy supplies from Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has sharpened Europe's attention on securing supplies elsewhere.

"The essence of these agreements is not limited to promoting the exploitation of deposits, but broadens the prospects for energy cooperation with Egypt, while contributing to regional stability and strengthening our country's geopolitical position in the Eastern Mediterranean," a statement from Cyprus's Presidency said.

Cypriot officials have previously said they expect gas from Block 6 Cronos to possibly come online in 2026 or 2027. Cronos gas in place is estimated at more than 3 trillion cubic feet (tcf).

Aphrodite holds an estimated 3.5 tcf of gas. Israel's NewMed, a member of the consortium, expects gas to come online in 2031, it said in a stock exchange filing on Sunday.

In a Monday filing update, it said the "non-binding" MoU envisaged that Egypt's national gas company, EGAS, would be the sole buyer of the gas produced from Aphrodite, while the partners would be granted an option to purchase specific quantities of the gas sold to EGAS as LNG.

The signing of the Aphrodite deal follows a recent breakthrough between Cyprus and the Chevron-led consortium after months of disagreement over a development plan.

The agreement provides a boost for Egypt, which has struggled with declining domestic gas production and last year returned to being a net importer of natural gas.

Egypt recently signed $3 billion worth of LNG supply deals with Shell and TotalEnergies to cover domestic demand for 2025.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has emphasized the country's need to ramp up production at its own Zohr gas field, where operator Eni has resumed drilling after output dropped to 1.9 billion cubic feet per day in early 2024.