Morocco breaks into arab top five for food industry investment with $17bn inflow

Morocco has joined the top five Arab destinations for foreign investment in food and beverage industries, pulling in around $17 billion, according to a 2025 sector report by the Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (Dhaman).

Morocco now stands alongside Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar as the main magnets for foreign direct investment in food processing and beverages.

These five countries dominate the map, attracting most of the money, projects and jobs created in the sector across the Arab world.

The numbers show a strong concentration. A total of 421 foreign investment projects were launched in these five countries, making up 82 percent of all food industry projects recorded in the region.

In terms of value, they captured nearly four-fifths of total invested capital, crossing the $17 billion mark. The job impact is just as clear, with about 71,000 positions created, or 76 percent of all jobs generated in the sector.

Across 22 years, the Arab region recorded 516 foreign investment projects in food industries, worth close to $22 billion and creating around 93,000 jobs.

But the bulk of that activity went to a limited number of markets with clear advantages, such as strong local demand, modern industrial bases and solid logistics networks that support exports.

The United States leads foreign investors in the sector. American companies launched 74 projects, accounting for 14 percent of the total, with investments nearing $4 billion and more than 14,000 jobs created.

Together, the top ten investing countries controlled roughly a third of total investment value.

At company level, Swiss food giant Nestlé topped the list by number of projects, reflecting its deep presence across Arab markets.

Ukraine’s Nibulon stood out as the biggest investor by value and jobs, thanks to large-scale projects.

The report also points to growing investment between Arab countries themselves. Twelve Arab states launched 108 projects inside the region, investing $6.5 billion and creating about 28,000 jobs. The UAE led this trend, taking the largest share of both projects and capital.