Political Challenges: The Project faced numerous challenges which fell outside of the Morocco National Fisheries Office's (ONP's) perceived manageable interest and caused delays in project implementation. It took a great deal of time to resolve land issues at several sites, which delayed construction or eventually forced the Project to abandon a proposed site. ONP and MCA Morocco were unable to resolve a dispute between two local jurisdictions –the location for the old wholesale market serving Rabat and the site of the new market – and as a result a $4.5 million investment remains inoperative. MCA Morocco was unable to mobilize its board of directors, which included the Head of Government and relevant ministers, to resolve this matter expeditiously. Similarly, the wholesale market at Beni Mellal sat idle for several months after provisional acceptance while it awaited a royal commissioning that was rescheduled several times.
Lesson Learned