Sidi Saleh Al-Idrissi, a member of the Authenticity and Modernity Group in the House of Representatives, submitted a written question to the Minister of Economic Inclusion, Microenterprise, Employment, and Skills regarding the rampant unemployment in the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region in general and the Smara province in particular.
Saleh Al-Idrissi emphasized that the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region, comprising the provinces of Laayoune, Boujdour, Tarfaya, and Smara, is rich in significant potential for economic development, particularly in the sectors of fisheries, renewable energy, and tourism, noting that this region is one of the largest in the Kingdom and the least densely populated, covering an area of 138,666 square kilometers—19.5 percent of the national territory—but accounting for less than 1.1 percent of the national population, according to the latest population and housing census.
In the same letter, the member of parliament stated that the region is experiencing growing momentum in terms of value added, with an average growth rate of 12.5 percent over the past decade. He explained that by capitalizing on its potential, the region has been able to drive sustainable development through the completion of major projects, particularly in the field of renewable energy, including the Noor Laayoune and Noor Boujdour projects, which are expected to have significant economic impacts. The region’s wealth comes primarily from the Laayoune province, which accounts for approximately 82 percent of the region’s gross domestic product, compared to 13.2 percent for the Boujdour province and 5.2 percent for Smara.
However, despite all these factors, Al-Idrissi adds, the region in general—and the Smara province in particular—suffers from the specter of high unemployment, with the latest statistics showing a rate of 14.8% in the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region, Although the region’s three provinces have resources in fishing, tourism, and renewable energy, the city of Smara is not included in major projects and does not have the same resources—or rather, the region’s resources, particularly in the field of renewable energy, have not been utilized to create job opportunities, This situation calls for urgent intervention to find practical solutions to this phenomenon, which is plaguing the youth of the southern regions in general and the Smara region in particular.
Sarah Al-Ramshi
