The African Development Bank (AfDB) has announced the mobilization of more than a billion dollars over the next two years to support Morocco in deploying its strategic vision, strengthening its climate resilience and supporting recovery.
“In a context of post-Covid-19 recovery and large-scale drought, we stand alongside our first partner, Morocco. More than a billion dollars will be mobilized over the next two years to support the water, agriculture, social inclusion, human development and infrastructure sectors. declared at the end of a working visit to the Kingdom, Beth Dunford, Vice-President of the African Development Bank Group in charge of Agriculture and Human and Social Development.
During her stay in Morocco, Beth Dunford had several high-level meetings with members of the Moroccan government, said an AfDB press release, adding that she notably met on Monday with Nizar Baraka, Minister of ‘Equipment and Water, Mohammed Sadiki, Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, as well as with the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance, in charge Budget, Fouzi Lekjaa.
Several Bank officials were in his delegation, including Mohamed El Azizi, Managing Director for North Africa, Toda Atsuko, Director of the Department of Agricultural Finance and Rural Development, Martin Fregene, Director of the Department of Agriculture and agro-industry and Achraf Hassan Tarsim, resident representative of the Bank in Morocco, adds the press release.
And to continue that the discussions with the Moroccan authorities were an opportunity to review the different aspects of the partnership, noting that Beth Dunford underlined the excellent quality of relations between the Bank and the Kingdom of Morocco.
“With Morocco, we have been linked by a historic partnership for more than half a century. More than 12 billion dollars have been mobilized for more than 170 operations”she recalled.
“Our relationship with the African Development Bank is particularly important. We want to strengthen our partnership to develop strategic infrastructure and accelerate the dynamics of economic and social development in Morocco.”underlined for his part Nizar Baraka, Minister of Equipment and Water.
The Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Mohammed Sadiki, welcomed the “historic partnership with the Bank which has contributed to the development of the agricultural sector in ‘a logic of productivity to that of high value-added processing’, adds the press release.
Fouzi Lekjaa, Minister Delegate in charge of the Budget, for his part, welcomed “the constant support that the African Development Bank provides to Morocco for the implementation of essential structural reforms”.
According to the text, Beth Dunford praised “the Kingdom’s exemplary management of the economic and social repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as its ability to successfully emerge from the crisis”.
The exchanges highlighted the convergence of views between the Moroccan government and the Bank, particularly around one of the Bank’s main priorities “Feeding Africa”, echoed by Morocco’s “Green Generation 2030” agricultural strategy. which aims to develop agriculture and agro-industry.
The discussions also highlighted the shared desire to support more sustainable and efficient water management, particularly in times of drought which saw the implementation of an exceptional anti-drought plan of more than one billion of dollars.
“This relationship, we want to take it even further. Our goal is to accelerate, deepen and broaden our historic partnership”declared the vice-president to the members of the government, evoking in turn the challenges of climate resilience of Moroccan agriculture, water efficiency, the attractiveness of the territories and competitiveness, the press release continues.
As of March 2022, the AfDB Group’s active portfolio totals nearly $4 billion in the sectors of social and human development, water and sanitation, agriculture, energy, transport and the private sector.
.