Morocco's Addoha wins Saudi NHC approval to build residential projects in Riyadh
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Douja Promotion Groupe Addoha has been qualified by Saudi Arabia's National Housing Company as a partner developer, opening the way to residential projects in Riyadh but with no plot or investment yet awarded.
Douja Promotion Groupe Addoha, listed on the Casablanca Stock Exchange under the ticker ADH, has obtained approval from Saudi Arabia's National Housing Company (NHC) to take part as a partner developer in residential projects in the kingdom. The group described itself as the first Moroccan and West African real estate developer to secure the qualification.
The approval opens access to the NHC's residential destinations in Riyadh, allowing Addoha to explore development opportunities within them and to evaluate future investments in the Saudi residential market. At this stage the announcement covers the agreement and the search for opportunities only: the group has disclosed no awarded project, investment amount, timeline or defined programme.
NHC, created in 2016 as the investment arm of the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, develops large urban destinations and then delegates their residential programmes to approved developers, so the qualification is a precondition rather than a contract. Egypt's Hassan Allam Holding, partnered with Saudi firm Tilal Real Estate, signed a 2,600-apartment project worth more than SAR3 billion in Khuzam in November 2025, while Saudi developer Retal Urban Development committed SAR5.2 billion in Al Fursan.
An Addoha delegation travelled to NHC headquarters, met its senior executives and visited the two destinations. Khuzam, north of Riyadh near King Khalid International Airport and the Expo 2030 site, is put by the Addoha communique at more than 4,500 hectares, 52,000 homes and about 280,000 residents, though NHC's own figures cite 30 million square metres and more than 50,000 homes. Al Fursan, northeast of the city, covers roughly 3,500 hectares and is planned for more than 69,000 homes, with its first 2,000 units delivered this year. No plot was awarded during the visit.
"This approval represents an important milestone for Groupe Addoha and reflects our determination to seize the opportunities offered by the growing Saudi residential market," chairman and chief executive Anas Sefrioui said. Saudi Arabia would be Addoha's first market outside Africa, and the role differs from its African model: in Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal, Guinea and Gabon the group designs and markets its own programmes, while in Riyadh it would act as a sub-developer on serviced land and master plans set by NHC.
Addoha, founded in 1988, has delivered close to 300,000 homes in Morocco and counts more than 23,000 units in production worth about MAD20 billion. In the first half of 2026 consolidated net income reached MAD336 million, up 20% year on year, on revenue up 9% to MAD1.41 billion, with unrecognised presales of MAD12.9 billion as of September 25.