The French magazine “Jeune Afrique” said that the Moroccan capital is intensifying its projects and investments in the cultural field in order to build an innovative system capable of creating job opportunities, with the aim of consolidating its position as a center of excellence with a wide African influence.
Following the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and the Museum of Photography, work is currently underway on two major projects: the Museum of Archaeology and Earth Sciences, and the “African City of Culture.” This latter project, estimated to cost over 100 million dirhams (approximately 10 million euros), will be built on an 11,000-square-meter site of a former Royal Navy headquarters building, and is expected to open between 2027 and 2028.
Creating job opportunities is at the heart of the project.
Jeune Afrique added that all modern development projects aim to build a unified urban narrative. In this context, it is said within the municipality: “The Grand Theatre and the Mohammed VI Tower are two sides of the same coin.”
The first embodies cultural ambition, and the second economic ambition. Together they build a tranquil, modern, and future-oriented capital. The goal is to create “a system in which culture and the economy do not conflict, but rather complement and strengthen each other.”
This strategy appears to be bearing fruit, as Rabat entered CEOWorld magazine’s global ranking of the most economically influential cities this year, alongside Cairo, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Nairobi.
The city's deputy mayor emphasizes that the goal is to make young people active participants in this initiative, not just spectators, relying on global city networks such as Metropolis, Lighting Urban Community International (LUCI), and Strong Cities to attract funding and partnerships.
This policy is embodied in grants for relocation to partner cities such as Jinan, China, international training and volunteering programs, the provision of innovation funds aimed at local startups, in addition to organizing forums and conferences in which young people participate regularly, Jeune Afrique continues.
A local official confirms that the goal is to transform this diplomatic capital into a tool for creating qualified jobs, developing skills, and the emergence of a new generation of urban actors.
Despite this momentum, the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, despite hosting a large number of company headquarters, contributes only 15.7% of Morocco's GDP, compared to 32.2% for the Casablanca-Settat region, according to the High Commission for Planning's 2023 data. Its economic growth is also weaker than the national average, unlike Casablanca, which shows greater dynamism.
The relationship with Salé
Artists see what is happening as a rare urban transformation similar to the major European transformations at the end of the twentieth century, but it remains a major challenge, especially in terms of ensuring the continuity of these projects after their opening, whether on a financial or organizational level.
The Moroccan cultural scene also depends on a partnership between the state and civil institutions and bodies, which requires greater coordination, transparency and long-term investment.
The French magazine quotes a Moroccan artist as saying that Rabat cannot be understood without the city of Salé, located on the other bank of the Bou Regreg River, which is home to important facilities such as the airport and the Mohammed VI Tower, in addition to the new campus of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University.
The two cities are linked by bridges, tram lines and railways, and they share common governance institutions, making this cooperation essential to promoting a shared African influence and competing with cities like Addis Ababa and Johannesburg.
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