Official documents issued by the Public Procurement Commission of Mauritania’s Ministry of Energy, Petroleum, Mines and Industry have raised questions after information appeared regarding the identity and nationality of entities linked to Morocco’s Tanger Med Group, within the framework of the project to prepare a business plan for the “Aria” Industrial Zone in the Trarza region.
The issue dates back to the opening session of the Expression of Interest process held on May 8, 2026, which recorded the participation of forty candidates from several countries competing for the contract to develop the business plan for the new industrial zone. Mauritania views the project as a strategic initiative aimed at attracting industrial investment and enhancing the competitiveness of its national economy.
What drew particular attention in the document was the listing of “Tanger MED” among the candidates as a Senegalese company, while “TME” appeared in the same list as a Mauritanian company.
This classification raised questions about the nature of Morocco’s participation in the project, especially since the Tanger Med Group is one of Morocco’s most prominent institutions, overseeing the Kingdom’s largest port, logistics, and industrial complex. Tanger Med Engineering, meanwhile, serves as the group’s engineering arm, specializing in port projects, industrial zones, and logistics platforms.
In light of these discrepancies, the newspaper “Al Maghribi” contacted the Tanger Med Group to obtain official clarification regarding the participation and identity of the company concerned.
In its official response, the group confirmed that the entity that submitted the expression of interest was Tanger Med Engineering, not the Tanger Med Group itself. It further explained that the information contained in the official minutes included errors concerning the identity and nationality of certain candidates.
The group stressed that Tanger Med is a Moroccan company, not a Senegalese one, and that TME is also a Moroccan company rather than a Mauritanian entity. According to the group, the information appearing in the official document does not reflect the actual legal status of either organization.
The incident highlights the importance of ensuring the accuracy of information contained in official documents related to international projects, particularly when they involve well-known regional and continental institutions such as the Tanger Med Group.
Despite the controversy, Tanger Med Engineering’s participation reflects the continued interest of Moroccan institutions in African industrial and logistics projects, amid the growing presence of Moroccan expertise in engineering, planning, and economic zone development across the continent.
However, the peculiarity of this case goes beyond the issue of nationality. The preliminary selection results later showed that the Moroccan engineering consultancy NOVEC advanced to the final shortlist, while Tanger Med Engineering failed to qualify for the next stage, making the case a combination of legal identity controversy and technical selection outcomes.