Interview: Otmane Serraj, CEO Outsourced Services, Saham Group

How is Casablanca positioned today?

Otmane Serraj - 99% of company headquarters are in Casablanca, the country's economic capital. All growth is linked to Casablanca. Four years ago, in 2014, His Majesty the King said that the city's economic power was generating growth, but that this was not being reflected in terms of regional development: increasing traffic jams, delays in long-term construction projects, inadequate sanitation, etc. In 2014, a new governor arrived to implement an aggressive action plan for the short term, between 2018 and 2020. What we are seeing today, with major projects such as Casablanca Finance City and Marina Casablanca, are changes linked to the catch-up effect of the last four or five years.

With the emergence of new business and tourist districts?

O. S. - For years, a whole part of the seafront had been neglected. The medina contained insalubrious dwellings that caused accidents a few years ago. It had to be rehabilitated, and the current restoration work is being carried out in phase with this seafront, where the new Marina business district has been set up, comprising hundreds of hectares of new offices, hotel complexes and luxury homes facing the sea. The development of Casablanca is continuing in a concentric fashion, starting from the port, through the renovation of Casablanca station, which will become a TGV station next year, to the green city of Zenata further north, in the second ring of Greater Casablanca.

How do the people of Casablanca perceive these changes?

O. S. - All the infrastructure and development projects are still underway. The city is constantly under construction, and that's a problem. Many people are impatient to see the city completed one day, even if everyone believes that these infrastructure plans make sense. As far as the business climate is concerned, the city is booming. More and more expatriates are settling in Casablanca, and Moroccans living abroad are returning to work in Morocco, given the salaries that have become very attractive.