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Rabat – In line with Morocco’s Low-Carbon Strategy 2050, the African Development Bank (AfDB) seeks to reduce the carbon footprint of the country’s road network by involving all stakeholders and raising highway users’ awareness of climate issues in the transportation sector.
Eco-responsibility is at the heart of developing Morocco’s road network, says a new report by the African Development Bank Group, noting that the North African country has made significant strides toward sustainable mobility.
The report, titled “Eco-Responsibility, a Priority for the Development of the Moroccan Road Network,” highlighted that the transportation sector alone accounts for nearly a quarter of Morocco’s greenhouse gas emissions, which pose serious environmental and health issues.
The AfDB mobilized more than €118 million in funding to build a sustainable transportation network on the Marrakech-Agadir motorway.
“While respecting the environment, the Marrakech-Agadir motorway has considerably eased access to parts of the country and developed inclusive economic activity,” the bank explained.
AfDB also noted that every motorway infrastructure project is subject to environmental impact assessments.
“Sustainable development is an integral part of any infrastructure project because we want to have a positive impact on all the regions that are crossed by the motorway, in a benevolent and respectful relationship,” said Nora Enneddam, Head of the Sustainable Development and CSR department of the National Motorway Company of Morocco (ADM).
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Large areas of argan trees were replanted as part of the Marrakech-Agadir motorway project.
“The National Motorway Company of Morocco replanted large areas of argan trees, which helps to improve our productivity and harvest more raw materials,” said Fatima Elmehni, President of the Arganams women’s cooperative. “The motorway then allows us to send our products, with the desired quality, to every part of Morocco. For us, all of this is very beneficial!”
The bank also recalled the international conferences Morocco has held on sustainable mobility in recent years, including COP 22 which was held in Marrakech in 2016.
In January 2022, Morocco’s Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development submitted to the UN a long-term low greenhouse gas emission strategy for 2050, reaffirming the country’s commitment to sustainable development and clean energy.
According to a recent World Bank report, Morocco needs to increase its financing package for green energy production projects by $2.6 billion per year through 2030, and to $17.4 billion per year by 2050, in order to meet its goal of decarbonizing the economy.
