Casablanca-Settat: 16th Board of Directors Meeting of the CRI
Casablanca, Wednesday, March 26, 2025
The Minister of Investment, Convergence, and Evaluation of Public Policies, Mr. Karim Zidane, chaired the 16th session of the Board of Directors of the Regional Investment Center (CRI) of Casablanca-Settat on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. This meeting, held at the CRI headquarters in the presence of all Board members, is part of the ongoing reform of CRIs, in accordance with Law No. 22-24 amending and supplementing Law No. 47-18, aimed at strengthening their role in economic attractiveness and supporting regional investments.
In his opening address, the Minister praised the commitment of the CRI Casablanca-Settat to regional economic development and highlighted the efforts made to create a favorable investment environment.
He emphasized the key role of the CRI as a reference in investment matters, a key player in territorial promotion, and a catalyst for the region's economic development. Focusing on support for Very Small, Small, and Medium Enterprises (VSEs and SMEs), Mr. Karim Zidane recalled the support mechanism provided by the new investment charter, as well as the central role of CRIs in its implementation, which is essential for job creation and stimulating economic growth.
During this session, Mr. Salmane Belayachi, Director of the CRI Casablanca-Settat, presented the Center’s activity report for the 2024 financial year, highlighting the achievements. The Unified Regional Investment Commission (CRUI) held 50 meetings during the year, reviewing 344 investment applications. Among them, 232 projects were approved, representing a total investment volume of 86.24 billion dirhams and forecasting the creation of more than 18,800 direct jobs. The sectoral analysis of the approved projects shows a predominance of the industrial sector (43% of investments), followed by the tourism sector (24%). In terms of geographical distribution, 17% of projects concern the province of Berrechid, 15% the city of Casablanca, while the provinces of Benslimane and El Jadida each account for 12%, and Settat 7%. Regarding the most requested administrative procedures, environmental acceptability requests top the list, followed by applications for land allocation in industrial zones and investment agreements.
At the conclusion of the discussions, the Board of Directors unanimously approved all resolutions submitted for validation. They expressed their satisfaction with the CRI’s performance, highlighting the new momentum initiated in favor of investment in the region. The Board encouraged the CRI to continue its efforts to enhance the territory’s attractiveness and sustainably support regional economic development.
