meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Big construction plans offer hope to Maghreb market

10 July 2023

This package on the Maghreb also includes:

> Morocco plans six stadium projects for 2030 World Cup
> Libya has potential for energy project surge
> Security company licensing system overhauled in Libya
> US firm plans 2MW Morocco hydrogen project
> Italy and Tunisia start $1bn Elmed prequalifications

 

Based on the total value of work under execution, the Maghreb region remains an active market for construction companies. 

According to regional projects tracker MEED Projects, there are $33bn of construction and transport projects at the execution stage in the Maghreb.

Algeria and Morocco are the two most active markets with $19.6bn and $10bn of projects under execution, respectively.

Libya and Tunisia have about $1.4bn of projects under execution each. 

The challenge is that many of these projects are long-standing ones, with the average duration of ongoing projects exceeding four-and-a-half years. 

At the same time, the value of new project awards remains subdued. Over the past year, there have been $1.2bn of construction and transport awards across the four countries. 

During that period, there have only been two contract awards with a value exceeding $100m in the Maghreb region.

The largest is a $403m contract to build a 36.5-kilometre-long stretch of highway in Morocco; the other is a $330m deal to expand a port in Algeria. 

A joint venture of Mojazine Groupe and NGE Contracting, Entreprise Houar, secured the Moroccan road scheme. The Ministry of Equipment, Transport, Logistics & Water project involves constructing a highway connecting Guercif to Saka as part of Morocco’s Guercif-Nador motorway project.

China Harbour Engineering Company secured the $330m Algerian contract to expand Arzew port. 

Morocco opportunities

With few significant projects awarded over the past year, construction companies are looking to the future for new opportunities. 

Morocco’s prospects for major construction projects appear the most promising, driven by two significant developments: the Spain-Morocco tunnel project and the potential hosting of the 2030 World Cup. 

In June, Spain approved funding for the Spanish Society for Fixed Communication across the Strait of Gibraltar (Secegsa) to conduct a design study for a tunnel link under the Mediterranean. Planned since 1980, the proposed railway tunnel is 38.7km long and will undoubtedly require the involvement of major international construction companies. 

For the World Cup, King Mohammed VI announced Morocco’s plans to join Spain and Portugal’s bid to host the 2030 tournament in March. To facilitate hosting the event, Morocco plans to build a 93,000-seat stadium in Casablanca and upgrade at least five existing stadiums.

The estimated MD2bn ($200m) stadium planned for Casablanca will be built on the outskirts of the city. It will be developed with the involvement of the Ministry of National Education, Preschool & Sports, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and the local municipalities.

The five stadiums to be upgraded are the Prince Moulay Abdallah stadium in Rabat, the Ibn Battuta stadium in Tangier, and stadiums in Fez, Agadir and Marrakesh. A stadium in Tetouan may also be upgraded.

Algeria rail

In Algeria, the future pipeline of projects is dominated by railway schemes. At the end of 2022, Algeria’s National Agency for the Engineering & Monitoring of the Achievement of Railway Investments (Anesrif) invited national and international companies to express interest in working on its multibillion-dollar rail-building programme. It involves the development of lines that, when complete, will total more than 12,000km in length.

Tunisia viaduct

In Tunisia, the opportunities are more limited. One project that has attracted interest from international construction companies is the design and build of a 2.1km viaduct linking Tunis and Bizerte.

At the end of last year, the Equipment, Housing & Infrastructure Ministry prequalified firms including players from China, France, Turkey, Egypt, Italy and Japan for the estimated $250m scheme. The project is expected to be tendered this year. 

The scheme, which is cofinanced by the European Investment Bank and African Development Bank, is split into three sections. The south liaison road, which comprises lot one, includes three interchanges. The main viaduct forms lot two, and the north liaison road, lot three, will feature one interchange.

Longer term, foreign investors may play a leading role in the market. One such investor is the UAE’s Bukhatir Group, which plans to revive a $5bn sports-focused development in northern Tunis. In its first phase, it will include the construction of luxury villas and a golf course.

Libya highway

For Libya, there are high hopes that the market will soon put a decade-long conflict behind it. Over the past year, various moves have indicated that new projects may now be starting to progress.

The most significant of these came at the end of 2022 when it was reported that the Italian government had begun the tendering process for the coastal highway linking the east and west of Libya from Misrata to Ras Jedir, on the border with Tunisia.

For the Maghreb to become a dynamic construction market, the plans for projects in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya will need to start moving ahead in 2023 and 2024. If not, the market will remain subdued. 

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/10994933/main.gif
Colin Foreman

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Kuwait receives bids for Al-Khairan phase one IWPP

    2 June 2026

     

    Two developer consortiums have submitted bids for the first phase of Kuwait’s Al-Khairan independent water and power producer (IWPP) project, according to a source.

    Bids were received by the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (Kapp) on 1 June.

    The facility will have a capacity of 1,800MW and 150,000 cubic metres a day of desalinated water. It will be located in Al-Khairan, adjacent to the Al-Zour South thermal plant. 

    The bidders include:

    • Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) / A H Al-Sagar & Brothers (Saudi Arabia) 
    • Acwa (Saudi Arabia) / Gulf Investment Corporation (Kuwait)

    The Al-Khairan IWPP is being procured by Kapp in partnership with the Ministry of Electricity, Water & Renewable Energy (MEWRE).

    The main contract was tendered last September. Three consortiums and two individual companies were previously prequalified to participate in the tender.

    Ernst & Young, BNP Paribas, AtkinsRealis and Addleshaw Goddard are financial advisers on the project. Chadbourne & Parke is acting as legal adviser.

    The winning bidder will sign a set of public-private partnership agreements covering financing, design, construction, operation and transfer of the project. The energy conversion and water-purchase agreement is expected to cover a 25-year supply period.

    Future phases

    The Al-Khairan IWPP project is expected to run on low-sulphur fuel oil as the primary fuel and to accommodate crude oil, gas oil and natural gas as backup fuels. Future phases will further expand capacity.

    It is understood that the estimated $750m second phase of the Al-Khairan IWPP project will add a further 1,800MW of generation capacity through a combined-cycle gas-fired power plant.

    The project, first mooted over a decade ago, remains in the early development stages, with no plans currently to advance to procurement in 2026, a source said.

    According to the source, the immediate focus is on advancing plans for the 3,600MW Nuwaiseeb power and water desalination IWPP project.

    The Nuwaiseeb IWPP plant will have a desalination capacity of 75 million imperial gallons a day.

    Kapp plans to release a transaction advisory tender for the project by the end of the year.

    > Be recognised among the best in the industry at the MEED Projects Awards 2026 …

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17072685/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Doosan confirms Saudi Jafurah 2 cogen contract

    2 June 2026

    South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility has confirmed it has signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract worth about $556m for the second phase of the Jafurah combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Saudi Arabia.

    The project is being developed by Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) in partnership with Saudi Aramco.

    Doosan said the contract covers design, equipment supply, installation, construction and commissioning of the facility.

    The Jafurah CHP phase 2 project will be built near the Jafurah gas field, about 400 kilometres east of Riyadh. Once operational, it will generate 330MW of electricity and produce 465 tonnes of steam an hour for the nearby gas field.

    According to the firm, the project’s main steam turbine will be supplied by Doosan Skoda Power, a subsidiary of Doosan Enerbility.

    WSP is acting as the project management consultant for the project, which is scheduled for completion in 2029.

    The Jafurah gas development is part of Aramco’s $3.2bn unconventional resources programme, which aims to develop shale gas in three areas. Jafurah lies southeast of Ghawar, the world’s largest conventional oil field.

    The programme is part of Riyadh’s plans under Vision 20230 to ensure the kingdom remains self-sufficient in gas supply amid rising demand from the residential and industrial power sectors.

    Jafurah phase one

    In February 2025, MEED exclusively reported that talks were under way to expand the capacity of the $500m Jafurah cogeneration independent steam and power plant (ISPP).

    Construction works were completed on the facility last November.

    At the time of its procurement, the plant’s first phase was to have a power capacity of 270-320MW, and a low-pressure (LP) steam demand of 77-166 thousand pounds an hour (klb/hr) and high-pressure (HP) steam demand of 29-126 klb/hour by 2023.

    The LP and HP steam demand will increase to 283-373 klb/hr and 66-321 klb/hr by 2027, respectively.

    The oil giant issued the letter of award to Kepco for the contract to develop the Jafurah ISPP scheme in July 2022.

    Kepco subsequently awarded South Korea’s Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction the project’s EPC contract.

    US/India-based Synergy Consulting provided financial advisory services to Kepco on its bid.

    Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) served as the client’s financial adviser for the project. Germany’s Fichtner Consulting Engineers is technical consultant, while the UK’s Wood Group is project management consultant.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17072199/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Al-Mabanee submits lowest bids for Kuwait infrastructure

    2 June 2026

    Kuwait’s Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) has opened commercial bids for two major infrastructure and public buildings packages at South Al-Mutlaa Residential City.

    Local firm Al-Mabanee United Company has emerged as the lowest bidder for both contracts, submitting combined offers worth KD44m. Both packages entail the construction, completion and maintenance of services, infrastructure works and public buildings for different district centres within the city.

    The first contract covers the infrastructure and public buildings for the N3 District Centre. PAHW received proposals from eight bidders, with Al-Mabanee United Company submitting the lowest price at KD20.9m. The second-lowest offer was submitted by The Contractor General Trading & Contracting Company at KD22.4m, followed by Golden Engineering Group for General Trading & Contracting at KD22.7m, though Golden Engineering Group was flagged for not providing a bid bond.

    Al-Khonaini General Trading & Contracting Company, operating as Inshat Al-Khonaini, ranked fourth with a bid of KD22.7m, followed closely by Kuwait Industrial Centre Company at KD22.8m. Combined Group Contracting Company submitted a bid of KD23.8m, Al-Dar Engineering & Construction Company bid KD25.7m, and China’s Sichuan Road & Bridge Group Corporation submitted the highest active proposal at KD29m. 

    The second contract is for identical infrastructure and public building works at the N1 District Centre. Al-Mabanee United Company submitted the lowest bid of KD22.8m. Its closest competitor was The Contractor General Trading & Contracting Company, which submitted an offer of KD23.9m.

    Al-Khonaini General Trading & Contracting Company came in third with a bid of KD24.2m, followed by Kuwait Industrial Centre Company at KD24.4m and Golden Engineering Group for General Trading & Contracting at KD24.4m. Combined Group Contracting Company placed a bid of KD26m, Al-Dar Engineering & Construction Company bid KD26.5m, and United Construction Company, known as Al-Inshat Al-Muttahida, submitted an offer of KD 30.9m. Al-Ghanim International General Trading & Contracting filed the highest bid at KD344m and was also noted for lacking a bid bond.

    South Mutlaa Residential City is a large-scale planned development designed to accommodate around 400,000 residents in a modern, fully serviced urban environment. Once completed, it will offer contemporary housing alongside extensive logistical services and a wide range of public and commercial areas, including hospitals, schools and other social services.

    The project also includes major infrastructure works such as approximately 150 kilometres of roads and related structures, lighting and other public works, as well as integrated systems for water distribution, rainwater collection and sewage. In addition, it will provide the civil infrastructure needed for electricity distribution, telecommunications networks and traffic control to support a well-connected, functional city.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17071938/main.gif
    Colin Foreman
  • Local developer secures finance for three Riyadh projects

    2 June 2026

    Qimam Noshoz for Real Estate Development Company, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Banan Real Estate Company, has signed a sharia-compliant credit facility agreement worth SR84m ($22.4m) with Riyad Bank to fund three commercial, hospitality and sports developments in the kingdom.

    The financing agreement is split into two distinct tranches to align with the projects’ development timelines. The first tranche consists of SR49m with a maturity duration of seven years, while the remaining SR35m has been secured for an eight-year term.

    Qimam Noshoz will utilise the capital to fund construction works for the Al-Rahmaniyah Gem and Al-Wadi District Gem projects. Both of these projects are already leased to the fitness operator Armah Sports Company. The other project is an independent hotel located within the Al-Wadi District.

    The Al-Wadi development is designed as an integrated commercial complex spanning approximately 7,818.5 square metres of land, with a built-up area of about 975 square metres. It includes a men’s gym, a women’s gym and a hotel building.

    The Al-Rahmaniyah project is an integrated commercial development combining fitness facilities with retail. The asset features men’s and women’s gyms operating alongside an independent commercial zone.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17071628/main.jpg
    Colin Foreman
  • SLB wins $385m contract for Kuwait oil research centre

    2 June 2026

    Schlumberger Oilfield Eastern, a unit of the US-headquartered oilfield services company SLB, has been awarded a KD118m ($385m) contract to develop an oil and gas research centre in Kuwait.

    The contract was awarded by the state-owned upstream operator Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), according to a report by Kuwait’s Al-Rai newspaper.

    The Ahmadi Innovation Valley (AIV) project is planned as an advanced research and innovation hub equipped with specialised facilities and technical teams focused on applied research for Kuwait’s oil and gas sector.

    The contract was awarded after the Higher Purchase Committee (HPC) of Kuwait’s national oil and gas company Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) determined the bid to be compliant with the project’s technical and commercial requirements.

    In February 2025, KOC signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with five international oilfield service companies to support the development of the AIV initiative.

    These companies were:

    • SLB (US)
    • Baker Hughes (US)
    • Weatherford (US)
    • Halliburton (US)
    • National Energy Services Reunited (US)

    Under the preliminary agreements, each of the five companies agreed to establish a world-class research and development centre at the project site, focused on helping KOC meet challenges in the upstream sector.

    KOC’s CEO Ahmad Jaber Al-Eidan had said in February 2025 that the project will enable Kuwait to keep pace with global transformations while investing in advanced technologies to ensure the sector’s sustainability and achieve operational excellence.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17063475/main.gif
    Wil Crisp