Mostafa Meftah, Deputy Director of the National Federation of Building and Public Works of Morocco

• What is the role of the FNBTP?

The FNBTP represents Moroccan building and engineering firms, namely 5,000 private companies of varying sizes that work in the different disciplines of the sector. We have 10 regional offices located in major towns and areas.

• What is the current climate in Morocco for the construction industry?

Despite apprehension, stemming from the gloomy global climate, the general outlook for Morocco is good, with 4 to 5% growth. After a short downturn, the construction industry is back in full swing thanks to government support for social housing. The sustained pace at which infrastructure projects are launched is a boon to the construction industry.

• What are the major construction projects?

Firstly, completion of the first motorway programme will enable remote towns to be linked to the master roadmap. So we will have an uninterrupted road link between Agadir and Oujda, and also Tangiers. And we are building expressways, for example between Marrakech and Essaouira. Our road projects include rural road links, whose production has almost doubled. We have also begun work, in partnership with France, on the first TGV line: Tangiers–Casablanca. The second section of TGV line, Casablanca–Marrakech, is due to be launched in 2015–2016. So Marrakech will be 2–3 hours from Europe by train. We will have 1,500km of TGV lines by 2015.

Other infrastructure projects, such as a dam, have been accelerated. We build one large structure per year and several small ones. Lastly, we have a scheme to modernise our ports.

• And the building industry?

A public–private venture will enable a social housing programme of 750,000 units to be completed by 2015.

• Are the international groups present in the Moroccan market?

The Moroccan market is open: we welcome companies from all over the world, notably European companies such as the subsidiaries of French companies that have been established in Morocco for a very long time. For us, these are Moroccan companies. But our companies work in the export field too and are in the process of becoming established in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• How is site equipment distributed in Morocco?

Most of the major international construction firms, in addition to some mid-tier companies, are established in Morocco either directly or via local representatives. We have US, European, Japanese and Chinese firms.

• Are the Chinese present?

Yes, we have several Chinese projects. The Chinese adopt a particularly aggressive approach, both in terms of performance and distribution, equipment and materials.

• What does Intermat mean to your companies?

Moroccan companies visit Intermat to satisfy their individual requirements. But, as an organisation, we are interested in cooperation with the exhibition.

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