Rabat – The African Development Bank (AfDB) announced the appointment of Tunisian Achraf Tarsim as country manager for Morocco at the bank’s regional office in Rabat.
“I am very delighted by this appointment and I thank President Adesina for the confidence bestowed upon me. Morocco is one of the Bank’s key partners and I will do my utmost to further strengthen this very special partnership,” said Tarsim on the occasion, according to AfDB’s news release.
Tarsim joined AfDB in 2009, starting in the Department of Governance and Economic and Financial Reforms. Before his appointment as Morocco’s office manager, he held the post of Regional Sector Division Manager for North Africa, where he was in charge of energy, infrastructure, and the financial sector of the bank.
Tarsim has played a key role in the launch of multiple structuring projects for the bank, supervising more than 20 initiatives totaling at $2.2 billion (MAD 19.8 billion). The bank launched the projects in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, as well as Mauritania.
In Morocco, Tarsim oversaw AfDB’s initiatives for the industrialization and financial policy operation, the Rabat airport extension project, as well as projects concerning the transmission of electricity.
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“Achraf is a seasoned and accomplished professional with extensive knowledge of the North African region. His strong implementation results on the ground and his rich experience in managing large portfolios will help the Bank to accelerate project execution in Morocco,” added the AfDB Group President Akinwumi Adesina.
Leila Farah Mokaddem, the previous AfDB representative in Morocco, already noted the country’s position as a true strategic partner for AfDB. The bank has been active in Morocco for more than 50 years.
“We have had nearly 170 operations which have mobilized more than $10 billion,” Mokaddem said, emphasizing that the Morocco-AfDB partnership has proven mutually beneficial.
The bank’s funds for Morocco largely focus on the sectors of energy (31.5%), transportation (19.8%), water and sanitation (15.5%), and multi-sectoral and social development operations (12.7%).
