World Bank Grants Morocco $180 Million Loan To Tackle Water Crisis

Rabat – The World Bank has approved a $180 million loan to help Morocco’s agriculture resilience amid a year of “historic drought.”

“Climate change and population growth are putting increased pressure on water and land resources in Morocco,” the World Bank said in a statement on Saturday.

Citing a year of historic drought, the bank said water scarcity is a “major threat to Morocco.”

The statement continued to note that the North African country recorded less rainfall throughout the past year, and that this is resulting in reduced river flows and increased evaporation induced by extreme weather events, such as heatwaves.

The bank also recalled the importance of agriculture for Morocco, pointing out that the sector accounts for 39% of employment in Morocco, including in rural areas, and contributes 21% to the country’s GDP.

“Agriculture is at the heart of Morocco’s economic and social ambitions and this project financing will support this vital sector, in alignment with the country’s Green Generations strategy, the National Water Plan, and the New Development Model,” said Jesko Hentschel, World Bank Country Director for the Maghreb and Malta.

The World Bank’s loan will help Moroccan water management through the Resilient and Sustainable Water in Agriculture (RESWAG) project.

The project aims to enhance the governance of water in agriculture, namely by improving the quality of irrigation services and increasing access to advisory services for irrigation technologies, the bank said.

Remi Trier, Senior Water Resources Management Specialist, and co-Task Team Leader said the first aspect of the RESWAG project seeks to “complement the long-standing effort made by Morocco in investing in water governance.”

Trier added that the program also seeks to contribute to priority areas of water conservation policies, including improving knowledge about the “impacts of the water productivity programs to better inform and re-orient policies towards climate-smart outcomes.”

The approval of the loan comes just a few days after the visit to Morocco of a high-level World Bank delegation, including the bank’s president David Malpass.

During his visit to Morocco earlier this month, the bank’s president emphasized the institution’s determination to continue to support the country’s development reforms.

Morocco, meanwhile, acknowledged the recent crisis due to drought.

In February, King Mohammed VI received Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch and Minister of Agriculture Mohamed Sadiki to discuss mitigating the social and economic effects of Morocco’s dry season.

Specifically, the King instructed the two officials to devise an exceptional, MAD 10 billion ($1billion) program to tackle the crisis nationwide and help drought-affected farmers.