The first edition of the International Port and Ecosystem Exhibition (SIPORTS 2026) opened on April 1st in El Jadida, gathering over 6,000 professionals, 200 exhibitors, and delegates from more than 45 countries for three days of strategic exchanges on the future of maritime trade and port infrastructure. The event is held under the aegis of the Ministry of Equipment and Water at the Mohammed VI Exhibition Centre.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister Nizar Baraka underlined that Morocco’s port sector achievements provide a strong foundation for further ambition, and identified five structuring priorities for the sector’s development: energy and ecological transition, climate change adaptation, port security, digitalisation and artificial intelligence integration, and excellence in infrastructure design.
Baraka also reaffirmed the timelines for Morocco’s major port expansion projects. Nador West Med, a deep-water port on the Mediterranean with 800 hectares of initial industrial zone expandable to 5,000 hectares, is set to begin operations by end-2026. It will host Morocco’s first liquefied natural gas terminal. The Atlantic port of Dakhla, a billion-dollar project with a 23-metre draught and 1,600 hectares of industrial land, is on track for 2028.
These new facilities complement Tanger Med, already the largest port in Africa and ranked 17th globally in container traffic with 10.24 million TEUs handled in 2024. Together, they form part of Morocco’s 2030 National Port Strategy, which aims to transform the Kingdom into an integrated, sustainable, and competitive port platform at the international level.
The SIPORTS forum also featured a high-level meeting of port authorities from the African Atlantic States Process (AASP), focused on maritime connectivity, security, and the blue economy. Participants described the event as a concrete expression of Morocco’s Royal Atlantic Initiative — a vision to make Africa’s Atlantic coastline a dynamic corridor for South-South cooperation, investment, and shared growth.