Drivers of Socioeconomic Development and Underdevelopment in Moroccan Sahara

Abstract

The topography, natural strife, pastoral nomad character of different tribes, an abundance of minerals, and disordered geopolitical borders remain significant sources of underdevelopment of Sahara province in Morocco. The Cold War philosophy of imposing the neocolonial character and had economic plunder became the artificial symbols of self-determination imposed upon nomad tribal people’s lives. All the major players of the Cold War period had exploited the Sahara province in the name of self-determination. They had distributed uncounted weapons and artillery to different tribal groups in this region. The post-1990s globalization and the end of the Cold War period cannot continue this weapon diplomacy, and different groups of tribal groups of Sahara understood the weapon ideology. The Government of Morocco and all the different tribal groups, after lengthy discussions, had agreed upon the approach of self-determination of decentralization of Sahara province, and the country’s constitution had adopted in the year 2011. Sahara autonomous region was declared, and the Sahrawi people were asked to initiate the management of political, social, and economic areas and facilitate regional planning for the development of agriculture, industry, infrastructure, education, health, and other areas. Sahara province will collect taxes, duties, and other levies and drive development projects in different sectors. This development drive of socioeconomic areas will initiate the connecting linkage between the northern and southern part Africa and will build a common market in the longer period.