Yanja el Khattat, presidente de la región de Dajla: “La apertura de muchos consulados en Dajla y en El Aaiún facilita la visibilidad hacia los inversionistas”

Yanja el Khattat, president of the Dakhla region, gave an interview to Atalayar in which he stressed the great importance that collaboration between Spanish and Moroccan businessmen can have for regional development and sub-Saharan Africa, and in which he emphasised that Morocco's formula of broad autonomy for Western Sahara under the sovereignty of the Alaouite kingdom is the best option to solve the Saharawi problem and to promote growth in the area. 

After the holding of the Spain-Morocco Investment Forum, Spanish investment entrepreneurs can finally come to Dakhla, are you satisfied?

Spanish investors have always been welcome in Dakhla, of course, and now after the renewal of the dynamics between Spain and Morocco even more so. We have organised this forum in Dakhla to facilitate Spanish investors and entrepreneurs the investment opportunities that our region offers. Dakhla has a magnificent geostrategic situation, the Kingdom of Morocco has made a significant investment in infrastructure to make us an attractive region in terms of roads, ports, energy, airports, industrial areas for all sectors for both agriculture and livestock, fisheries, tourism, renewable energy and logistics, all these sectors, today, in Dakhla are emerging sectors. We believe that cooperation between Spanish and Moroccan businessmen will give a very important boost to the development not only of our region but of the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, since the region is the gateway to sub-Saharan Africa. One of the major structural projects is the road that will link Europe with Africa and that will pass through Morocco, without doubt one of the most important projects. There is also the Atlantic port project that will facilitate trade between sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, which will be complementary to the Spanish ports in the Canary Islands. Right now we are taking very important steps because we are looking at the most fruitful cooperation opportunities for Spain and Morocco, and it is in this context that the Spain-Morocco Investment Forum has been organised. 

Everything depends on the renewal of relations between Spain and Morocco, something that was undoubtedly necessary

Relations between Spain and Morocco must be very strong due to the historical and geographical reasons and the common interests that unite us. The political dynamics that the region has experienced with the United States' recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the southern regions of Morocco and the Spanish government's recognition of it is the most appropriate initiative to solve this problem. The opening of many consulates in Dakhla and Laayoune facilitates visibility for investors and I am sure that this shows that we are a stable region with great investment opportunities, and I believe that Spain, as Morocco's first partner, will always keep its doors open. 

Who has been the forerunner of all these initiatives?

All this is due to the vision of King Mohammed VI to give the southern regions of Morocco an infrastructure that facilitates the exploitation of the potential we have. Mohamed VI has advanced the new development model for the southern regions with a budget of more than $8 billion, of which $2.5 billion has been allocated to Dakhla for infrastructure renovation. Almost all the renovation projects are well advanced, with about 70% of them completed, the rest being in progress. The connection of Dakhla to the entire Moroccan electricity grid system is finished, the road connections between Dakhla and Laayoune are being finalised, the fishing port is 100% completed, we have just started work on the Atlantic port, and all of this is a strong economic complementarity between Spain and Morocco.

From Spain and from the Canary Islands, it should be seen as a complement that generates new development opportunities and not as competition.

Indeed, because demand in Africa is very strong. According to studies, by 2050, one out of every three citizens in the world will be African, so demand will grow. We believe in the importance of the geostrategic position of Dakhla in the south of Morocco, opposite the Canary Islands, we believe that together we can play a very important role in terms of integration in a complementary way, all the ports will have work to do. The potential of the region in tourism, agriculture, fisheries, logistics, trade and renewable energies is enormous. Within our regional development programme we have integrated logistics zones as an extremely important element, Spanish investors are welcome so that together with Moroccan investors we can begin to draw up a roadmap and take a step forward in Africa. 

As has been explained, moreover, with legal certainty or, on the contrary, until the issue of the Moroccan ownership of the Sahara is resolved at the United Nations, could there be any problems?   

We are the true representatives of the population, 80% of Saharawis live in the provinces of the Sahara, we have been democratically elected by the people, so we speak on behalf of civil society and we defend their interests within Morocco. We are sure that the only viable solution is that of broad Moroccan autonomy, the international community is becoming aware of this initiative as the only real and viable solution to this problem. 

We have spoken to many Saharawis who are in the Tindouf camps and this is their great desire, to be reunited with their families, to finally resolve the conflict and to have education, development, health care, etc. Sooner or later, Algeria will have to sit down to negotiate about all this.

Indeed, in my view, the solution lies in development. The development efforts made by the Kingdom of Morocco in the southern regions are palpable, we can see it in the form of hospitals, schools, jobs... we are talking about a very strong economic dynamic. On the other hand, Algeria has created camps without any kind of visibility, where the people who are in them have no future. The solution goes along these lines, hand in hand with development, and for all these reasons King Mohammed VI has focused the investment strategy on the development of the southern regions so that all Moroccans who want to join in through investment can also participate in it. 

We are seeing that there are other political movements that are well represented among the Saharawi people, such as the Movement Saharawi for Peace, the Polisario Front is not the only representative of the Saharawi people, as it claims to be. 

The Polisario has never been the only representative of the Saharawi people, 80% of the Saharawi people are here, and other movements such as the Movement Saharawi for Peace that also represent the people testify that the Polisario Front project has already failed. Except in Tindouf, where there is no visibility and where people live in inhuman and very difficult conditions. 

Staffan de Mistura, as the new UN Special Envoy, can propose a new negotiating table to finally put an end to this problem, do you have confidence in these efforts?

In the Moroccan Sahara there is total stability, there is no conflict whatsoever, we have coexistence between all members of the region. The problem is that Algeria's plan is dead and it has to recognise that. Algeria must join the international efforts that want a viable solution for all, Morocco in this context has provided the plan for broad Moroccan autonomy which is the only viable one, the best thing for Algeria is to approve this solution and take this step that would renew and strengthen relations between the countries. Algeria must open up to a fruitful economic integration for our peoples. 

Finally, we encourage Spanish investors to get to know the region, but also tourists. The tourist potential of Dakhla for Spaniards is enormous. 

Dakhla is presented as the first destination for water sports in Morocco and the fourth in the world. International competitions of the main water sports have been organised here with the presence of the highest international chains. Dakhla today has enormous potential in sectors such as tourism, agriculture, logistics, renewable energies, fishing, where we are the most important town in Morocco, Spanish investors can be sure that they have before them a magnificent opportunity.