Morocco ranks among the top five Arab destinations for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the food and beverage industry, according to a 2025 sector report published by Dhaman.
Morocco appears among the leading Arab countries attractive to FDI in the food and beverage industry, alongside Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. This ranking is highlighted in the third 2025 sector report published by the Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Company (Dhaman), which focuses on investment flows in the agri-food sector across the Arab world.
According to this report, which was reviewed by APA, these five countries accounted for a total of 421 FDI projects in the food and beverage sector between January 2023 and December 2024, representing 82 percent of all projects recorded in the Arab region.
The capital invested reached over $17 billion, representing 79 percent of the total investment, while these projects generated approximately 71,000 jobs, or 76 percent of the jobs created during the period.
At the regional level, Dhaman identified 516 FDI projects in the food and beverage industry over twenty-two years, for a total estimated volume of $22 billion and nearly 93,000 jobs created.
The reportemphasises that “the geographic concentration of investment flows remains pronounced,” with a few markets possessing structural advantages related to the size of domestic demand, industrial depth, and logistical capabilities.
Regarding the origin of capital, the United States emerged as the leading foreign investor in the sector during the period studied, with 74 projects, representing 14 percent of the total, for nearly $4
billion invested and more than 14,000 jobs created. The top ten investing countries alone account for approximately 15 percent of projects, 32 percent of investment amounts, and 29 percent of jobs.
At the company level, the Swiss group Nestlé leads in the number of projects, while the Ukrainian company Nibulon dominates in terms of financial volume and jobs created.
The report also highlights the growing role of intra-Arab flows. Twelve Arab countries invested in 108 projects within the sector, representing 21 percent of the total, mobilizing $6.5 billion, equivalent to 30 percent of the overall amounts, and creating nearly 28,000 jobs. The United Arab Emirates dominates this segment, accounting for 45 percent of intra-Arab projects and 58 percent of the capital committed.
In its risk and attractiveness analysis, based on Fitch Ratings indicators, Dhaman ranks the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar as the most attractive Arab markets for food investment in 2024, ahead of Oman, Bahrain, Algeria, Morocco and Kuwait.
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