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After relaunching its operations in late 2025 in Casablanca, Marrakech, Rabat and Tangier, the U.S. ride-hailing giant Uber is now considering expanding into Western Sahara, with a possible launch in Dakhla.
According to Africa Intelligence, the market study has been entrusted to a well-connected consultancy in Morocco. Uber reportedly hired the same Moroccan firm that assisted the company during its first entry into the Moroccan market in 2015. That initial expansion, however, ran into a legal framework largely unfavourable to ride-hailing apps, prompting Uber to leave the kingdom in 2018.
After seven years away, Uber made its return to Morocco at the end of 2025. With the 2030 FIFA World Cup approaching, which Morocco will co-host alongside Spain and Portugal, Moroccan authorities are no longer blocking the growth of ride-hailing platforms.
That shift was reflected earlier this month in Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit’s response to a written question from an MP belonging to the opposition Popular Movement party. Laftit said ongoing discussions on urban transport are based on a two-track approach: taking Morocco’s specific context into account while drawing on successful international experiences. The goal, he stressed, is to improve service quality for citizens while better regulating a rapidly evolving sector.
A potential Uber launch in Dakhla would also align with the position adopted by the administration of Donald Trump, which authorised both public and private U.S. companies to invest in Western Sahara.
At the same time, Rabat and Washington are examining an update to the free trade agreement that entered into force in 2006 and is now considered outdated in light of current geopolitical realities. During the original negotiations, the United States had excluded the Sahara from the scope of the agreement signed with Morocco.
