The rivalry between Dakhla and the Canary Islands in their aspirations to be a tricontinental platform
In the Canary Islands, the various governments that have governed it, regardless of their political orientation, promote the idea of the Canary Islands' great potential to be a tricontinental platform between Europe, America and Africa. To this end, the Canary Islands have good air and port connections, a unique tax regime conducive to investment, and political and social stability.
However, such ambitions have been blocked by rivalries between Gran Canaria and Tenerife. Both spend more time fighting for their own interests than for those of the islands as a whole. For example, there are accusations of misappropriation of tourist attractions, such as Tenerife's use of Gran Canaria's Maspalomas Dunes, and also that there are four Chambers of Commerce instead of one, all focused on promoting their island rather than the Canaries as a whole. As a result, it is quite likely that an investor or company interested in investing in the Canaries, attracted by the potential of the Canaries as a tri-continental platform, will find a fragmented and inauspicious scenario for their plans.
A country that can take advantage of these weaknesses is Morocco. In recent years, it has launched various plans to promote the development of Western Sahara. To this end, it has streamlined bureaucracy, offered support and assistance for investment and extra aid for projects that invest the equivalent of nine and a half million euros. In addition to these incentives, Morocco, unlike the Canary Islands, does not have the internal fractures that hinder investment in the Canaries.
One of the areas that Morocco aspires to make a pillar of the region's development is the port of Dakhla -Villa Cisneros when Western Sahara was part of Spain-, very close to the Canary Islands. At first glance, one could say that Dakhla offers many attractions to take away the Canary Islands' ambitions to be a tricontinental platform: it has an attractive coastline and good climate suitable for tourism and good connections with key African ports such as Dakar and Tanger Med, the latter being one of the largest on the continent. In addition, Morocco aspires to create a major port there and to connect Dakar to the rest of the country via a major motorway linking Morocco's Atlantic coast from north to south. If these plans come to fruition, which is quite likely given Morocco's strong interest in promoting Dakhla as a port and logistics centre, it is very likely that the Canary Islands will find themselves in the short term with a serious competitor to their ambitions to become a tricontinental platform.
However, the Canaries need not be alarmed. While Morocco's plans may sound grandiose at first glance, they have yet to be realised, and the Canary Islands can take advantage of this to develop a unique strategy, beyond inter-island rivalries, to promote themselves as a tricontinental platform, highlighting their fiscal benefits and social and political stability. This last point is relevant since Dakhla is located in Western Sahara, a territory in dispute between Morocco and the Polisario Front, something that will most likely discourage foreign investment for risk of being seen as an accomplice in justifying Morocco's occupation of Sahrawi territory and the underground war in which both sides have been engaged since the end of 2020.
In conclusion, at first glance, the Canary Islands have great potential as a tricontinental platform between Europe, America and Africa due to their geographical position, fiscal incentives and socio-political stability. However, the rivalries between Gran Canaria and Tenerife and the existence of various financial institutions focused exclusively on promoting their islands rather than the Canaries as a whole complicate the Canaries' ambitions to be a tri-continental platform. Morocco, the Canary Islands' neighbour, can snatch away its ambitions to be a tri-continental platform if it succeeds in turning Dakhla - close to the Canary Islands - into a major logistical and tourist port. In addition to offering great financial incentives to invest in the area, Morocco does not have the disunity and rivalries that prevail in the Canary Islands, which are influential for businessmen when deciding where to invest.