Marsa Maroc, Morocco's leading port operator, said on Tuesday it had signed a deal with Liberia's ports authority to manage the port of Monrovia from the first half of 2026.
Under the deal, which is part of Marsa Maroc's African expansion plan, Marsa Maroc International Logistics (MMIL) will carry out rehabilitation works, deploy port equipment and provide expertise in bulk handling to operate two jetties.
In a second phase, Marsa Maroc said it was targeting a concession agreement for the development and operation of a new multipurpose terminal at the port of Monrovia, which would handle the majority of trade flows in Liberia.
Marsa Maroc manages 34 terminals across 20 ports, handling more than 60 million metric tons of cargo annually.
Liberia would become the third location in Africa for Marsa Maroc, which has become the latest Moroccan company to roll out investment in the continent, following the lead of Moroccan banks, fertilizer producer OCP and mining company Managem.
Last year, Casablanca-listed Marsa Maroc announced plans to expand into West and East Africa, including two terminals at Cotonou port in Benin and an oil and gas terminal in Djibouti.
In December, Marsa Maroc acquired a 45% stake in Spain's Boluda Maritime Terminals (BMT), a branch of Boluda Corporacion Maritima, for 80 million euros ($94 million).
(Reuters)