Officially launched at GITEX Marrakech on April 7 by Leila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, the mining cadastre portal is now accessible at dmcm.mem.gov.ma. According to the ministry, this platform is intended to modernize the mining sector and enhance transparency in the management of permits and investments, streamline administrative procedures and integrate data into the platform for better efficacy.
Last December, while presenting her strategy for the development of the mining sector, Leila Benali noted that the sector constitutes “an essential pillar of the national economy.” Mining contributes 10% of GDP, 20% of non-phosphate exports, and generating more than 40,000 direct jobs.
Digitalization: A Revolution?
For industry stakeholders, the new portal represents a major step forward. Youssef Atif, a geologist and associate professor at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fez, told TelQuel that he expects prospecting and exploration to accelerate thanks to easier access to mapping and data. This is because digitization should enable “transparency in the granting of permits, a reduction in administrative delays, and a clearer understanding of geological potential for investors.”
Youssef Daafi, a geologist and analyst of strategic issues in the mining sector, adds that the portal will enable the “enhanced use of geoscientific data.” According to him, this new access to reliable, accessible, and high-quality data should be a key factor in attracting investment “in a sector where information asymmetry has historically been a barrier to investment.”
Digitization has proven its worth. Youssef Atif points out that other countries such as Canada, Australia, and Chile have digitized their mining systems, which has led to “increased investment, greater competitiveness, and a more structured sector.” According to Atif, this platform will primarily benefit minerals that are still under-explored, projects in the exploration phase, as well as foreign investors interested in the data. And “it will enable investments to be directed more effectively toward priority resources,” adds Youssef Daafi.
With greater clarity regarding its mining potential, Morocco could thus play a key role in a sector that has become strategic: critical minerals. These minerals derive their name from their dual nature: they are essential to a country’s strategic sectors—economy, defense, energy—and difficult to secure, given the fragility of their supply chains.
Expensive Critical Minerals
Since 2020, supply chain tensions and the acceleration of the energy transition have intensified interest in these critical resources, notes Youssef Atif. He adds that“Morocco is attracting increasing international attention in this area,” as the kingdom’s subsoil is rich in numerous resources. There is phosphate, of course: Morocco can boast of holding nearly 70% of the world’s reserves. While it is not critical for the kingdom, it is for other parts of the world. Indeed, just last November, it was recognized as such by the United States. But other minerals found in Morocco — notably cobalt, silver, copper, zinc, and lead, as well as barite, fluorite, and antimony — are attracting the interest of industrialized foreign countries, said Atif.
Recent mining investments are centered on these raw materials. The Managem Group, a mining subsidiary of the royal holding company Al Mada, operates copper projects such as the Tizert mine, silver projects at the Imiter mine, as well as cobalt operations at the Bou Azzer mine and zinc operations at the Hajjar mine. The Canadian company Aya Gold & Silver, for its part, mines a major silver vein at Zgounder. In 2025, the Canadian company’s revenue even increased fivefold, reaching $202 million, thanks partly to Zgounder.
The Achmmach tin mine, acquired in October 2025 by the Chinese mining group Inner Mongolia Xingye Silver & Tin Mining, is also expected to make headlines. In 2024, the mine’s former owner, the Australian company Atlantic Tin, had identified the existence of one of the world’s largest tin deposits in the region.
Raw materials of the future
Mostafa Benzaazoua, president of the Geology and Sustainable Mining Institute (GSMI) at University Mohamed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), also foresees the benefit of accessibility and transparency offered by the digital platform.
The booming battery industry represents another promising market for Moroccan minerals. Phosphate is fundamental to this sector. Cobalt, historically mined at Bou Azzer, is as well. Manganese is also already being mined, but could be mined on a larger scale. « Morocco has manganese mines, and it could have more, » says Benzaazoua.
On the other hand, lithium and nickel—which are just as essential to this industry—are still in the exploration phase, notes Atif, who points out that exploration campaigns to locate lithium deposits are underway in the Sahara, particularly in the Dakhla region.
And demand is unlikely to slow down. Demand could increase four- to sixfold by 2040 driven by the energy transition and the development of low-carbon technologies, according to a 2021 IEA report. « Lithium, rare earths, nickel, and copper are expected to grow in importance,« said Atif. Yet many of these resources remain largely, if not entirely, untapped in Morocco « due to technical and economic constraints or a lack of detailed data. »
Rare Earths: Can Morocco Challenge China?
Among the underutilized resources are rare earths, which comprise 17 metals essential for cutting-edge industries in the automotive, modern technology, and energy transition sectors. These metals are considered crucial to the sovereignty of many major powers. Last year, China—which accounts for 70% of global rare earth production and 90% of its refining—tightened its control over the exportation of these metals directly affecting Western industrialized countries.
Mostafa Benzaazoua said that Europe regrets having allowed its mining industry to wither away. “Current political issues can lead to complications if a country lacks sovereignty over the key resources of its industry,” said Bezaazoua.
The question is crucial: does Morocco have exploitable deposits? In a previous TelQuel article , the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mining (ONHYM) announced that it had identified several potential deposits, notably in Tamazert, in the High Atlas, and in the southern provinces. “The most significant are Twihinate, Lamlaga, Lahjeyra, Glibat Lafhouda, Drag Al Farnan, Awark, Aghracha, and Targhate,” said ONHYM.
Morocco could occupy a significant position in this market by 2030 provided it establishes an integrated rare earths sector that “combines exploration, local processing, and industrial development,” according to ONHYM. But this remains a challenge. In Morocco. we have to “strengthen our technical, industrial, and environmental capabilities to meet growing demands for traceability, sustainability, and quality. Projects related to these commodities are well advanced,” said Benzaazoua. He admits that it is not easy to compete with Beijing’s monopoly in the rare earth sector. “China can simply lower prices to jeopardize certain mining projects.”
“The stakes are high”
In any event, the time is now for prospecting, said Benzaazoua. “There is still a lot of exploration work to be done to promote Morocco’s mining potential.” A large part of Morocco remains largely underexplored. He specifically mentions the Atlas region, as exploration in this area requires costly and highly specialized technologies. In February, the ministry also launched a major public call for bids covering 361 parcels in the Tafilalet and Figuig basins, spanning an area of 13,000 km².“There could be gold, copper, lithium, or even uranium. The bets are on,” said Benzaazoua.
Strengthening its value chain
For geologist and analyst Youssef Daafi, Morocco could succeed in establishing itself within global value chains for critical minerals. In his view, Morocco would benefit from not limiting itself to extraction and from investing more in processing. He highlights the development of geoscientific knowledge and local industrial processing as two key drivers for better integration into global value chains. On the international stage, Daafi notes,“countries are increasingly seeking to secure not only access to resources, but also their processing and value creation.”
Mostafa Benzaazoua confirms this ambition and lays out the principle: “Added value increases exponentially with the degree of processing. The less you process, the less you benefit from your resources.” While Morocco is already an exporter of minerals, the goal is therefore to process raw materials as much as possible in order to export high-value-added products.
But the reality is more complex. “All countries are competing, and each wants to have the most developed value chain. Sometimes, you have to make deals and agree to offshoring certain industrial processing steps,” said Benzaazoua.
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Criticism of the Kingdom
Morocco has its own vulnerabilities in the mining sector. Although well-endowed with phosphates, the kingdom must nevertheless secure the supply of minerals needed by its strategic industries. Benzaazoua cites in particular the automotive sector, which requires ever-increasing amounts of aluminum, magnesium, iron, and steel, as well as the aerospace industry and photovoltaic and wind energy products.“There is currently exploration for magnesium, as it is used in the manufacture of lightweight alloys for the automotive industry. It is therefore a strategic metal for Morocco,” he explains.
He also mentions sulfur, a critical mineral that has become particularly scarce since the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. In Morocco,“there are no sulfur mines to produce sulfuric acid, which is necessary for phosphate processing,” notes Benzaazoua, mentioning that access to sulfur is a real concern for the kingdom today.
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What about yellow cake?
In addition to critical minerals, Moroccan soil also contains yellow cake. This uranium concentrate, derived from phosphate rock, is primarily used in the nuclear industry. With this in mind, the OCP Group, Morocco’s leading operator of phosphate resources, has a dedicated unit: Uranext. According to the media outlet LeDesk, a plant for extracting and refining uranium concentrate from phosphoric acid is planned near El Jadida.
Benzaazoua adds that rare earth deposits are often accompanied by uranium.
“It is possible to utilize this uranium as a secondary resource, or even a tertiary one in some cases,” Benzaazoua explains. He confirms that projects are underway.
Written in French by Salomé Krumenacher; edited in English by AngloMedia Group.
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