By Loubna Flah
By Loubna Flah
Morocco World News
Casablanca, May 11, 2012
According to the Moroccan daily Aujourd’hui le Maroc, the African Development Bank Group, or ADBG, disbursed a grant estimated to 64 million Dirhams to Morocco that aims at providing Moroccan entrepreneurs in the agriculture sector with technical assistance.
The Minister of Finance Mr. Nizar Baraka and Ms. Amani Abou Zeid, the representative of ADBG in Morocco, have signed the grant agreement in Rabat last Friday. The fund allotted by the ADBG is intended to subsidize micro companies operating in the agricultural sector through a series of training and workshops.
The grant will benefit young Moroccan entrepreneurs who operate in agriculture. They will benefit from technical counseling in agriculture in order to enhance their productivity. Mr. Baraka asserted that the project could generate job opportunities in rural areas and palliate partially to the employment crisis in Morocco. He adds that the ABDG project aligns admirably with the government’s announced agenda concerning the development of rural areas.
The projects that will benefit from the series of trainings and workshops have already been selected by the Agency for Agricultural Development. The Minister of Finance asserts that the training will have a direct impact on agricultural productivity. The projects selected adhere to the government commitment to promote “green” agricultural projects.
Ms. Abou Zeid made it clear that the grant is a harbinger of the BAD new strategy towards Morocco for the period between 2012-2016. The ADBG aims at promoting good governance, social integration of the less privileged and the implementation of sustainable and solid infrastructure in rural areas.
The ADBG had sponsored a project related to water management with a budget that amounts to 600 million Dirhams. Indeed, the ABD envisions to supply 20,000 of lands with local irrigation in many regions namely Loukkos, Tadla, Doukhala ET Moulouya.
It is noteworthy that Morocco has sustained several partnerships with the ABD for more than 40 years. The ADBG has launched so far 23 operations in Morocco, 14 loans and nine grants. The budget allocated by the ABD to Morocco is estimated to 22 billions Dirhams.
The African Development Bank Group is a development bank established in 1964 with the intention of promoting economic and social development in Africa. The group comprises the African Development Bank, or AfDB, the African Development Fund, or ADF, and the Nigeria Trust Fund, or NTF. AfDB provides loans and grants to African governments and private companies investing in the regional member countries in Africa. It is owned and funded by member governments, and has a public-interest mandate to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development. Its headquarters is in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
