King Mohammed VI who started Thursday a visit to Laayoune, first leg of a tour of the southern provinces of Morocco, on Friday gave the kickoff to the construction of an integrated fertilizer production industrial complex on the Phosboucraâ site, and a technology park in the town of Foum El Oued near Laayoune.

These two mega projects will necessitate investments worth respectively about 16.8 and 2 billion dirhams.

The day before, King Mohammed VI was in Ouarzazate, where he inaugurated a solar plant, the first of the four units of the largest solar power complex in the world, that will produce by 2018 nearly 500 megawatts of electricity. The output will supply electricity to over one million homes

These projects illustrate Morocco’s strong commitment to boost the integrated development of its southern provinces and to improve the living conditions of the inhabitants of these provinces.

Upon his arrival Thursday in the early evening in Laayoune, the Sovereign was warmly greeted by thousands of residents of the city, lining the route of the royal procession.

The Foum El Oued – Laayoune future techno park, located in the small town of Foum El Oued, 18 km from the city of Laayoune, will include teaching and research clusters that will focus on topics of interest to the Sahara, its environment, and its economic development. The park will equally include a cultural center and several accommodations.

The sovereign then launched the construction works of the Phosboucraâ complex in the urban district of Al-Marsa Laayoune. The complex includes a platform for the production of fertilizer.

The platform worth 8.3 billion dirham will produce 500,000 tons a year of phosphoric acid and 1 million tons a year of phosphate fertilizers.

A phosphate washing and flotation plant, a drying unit and a stockyard with a storing capacity of 500,000 tons will be constructed part of the complex.

This new complex is designed to create wealth locally through the processing of phosphate on the site. It will also develop an industrial fabric of SMEs and SMIs and promote new trades associated with phosphate and fertilizer processing activities.

The future complex is also expected to eventually generate nearly 1,270 jobs.

Laayoune will also be endowed with a new port, whose construction will cost some 4.2 billion dirhams.