Purpose and Scope

Purpose and scope of The International Congress on Desert Economy – ENCG, Dakhla City, Morocco.

Think globally, act locally.

The International Congress on Desert Economy – ENCG, Dakhla city, Morocco (ICDED), is the pioneer and the very first worldwide scientific research meeting ever organized (the first edition took place in February 2018)on arid lands, the Sahara, and desert economic development, whose approach is to think globally (internationally) and act locally, it’s annually organized by the National School of Business and Management (ENCG) of Dakhla. This sixth edition is organized in partnership with the UNESCO Chair of Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, and it will be held on April 9 and 10, 2025, at the ENCG, Dakhla city, Morocco (see the previous edition of 2024).

The ultimate purpose of The International Congress on Desert Economy – ENCG, Dakhla city, is to be an interdisciplinary scientific research platform on the desert, arid lands, and the Sahara (hot drylands, hyperarid or semi-arid regions, oasis and remote rural areas)  economy, management, and development (rural development), in order to contribute effectively to the good governance and in the sustainable development of arid lands worldwide, by attracting and promoting investment opportunities in the Sahara and  deserts, and by stimulating meetings between all stakeholders on a global scale: Academics, Professionals, Policy-Makers, Civil society and NGOs..., with a view to fostering dialog, partnership, and cooperation among desert countries worldwide: Africa and the Gulf States (the MENA and the Sahel...), the United States of America, Australia, China, India, South America..., with the aim of valuing and promoting the desert knowledge and its related studies' and conferences' findings and recommendations, and creating a conducive environment to the exchange of experiences, expertise, trainings, educational practices and innovation, around themes related to the desert economy and to the arid lands management, such as Tourism, desert tourism, Saharan tourism, oasis tourism, travel industry, and tourism economics; Climate change, desertification, and land degradation; Livestock economics, management, and production; Agriculture, aquaculture, and agricultural economics (rural economics); The Economics of water, drought and water scarcity management; Renewable energy, energy economics, and energy management; Mining and natural resource management; Phosphate economics and the phosphate fertilizer industry; Transportation and logistics; Fisheries, maritime, sea, and ocean economy; Economics of space (space economy) and space industry; Technology and innovation; Water sports and entertainment, sports economy and sports management; Cultural and creative industries, tangible and intangible heritage; Biodiversity, wetlands, environment, and nature conservation and management...Thus, each year, an edition will be organized.

Besides the main theme of this sixth edition entitled “Turning Scientific Research towards the Sustainable Development of the Desert, the Sahara, and Arid Lands”, it will also be devoted to addressing general issues on the desert (Sahara) economy management and its sustainable development.