Rabat — The French Development Agency (AFD) has appointed Catherine Bonnaud as its new director in Rabat, with Bertrand Poche joining her as deputy director.
The duo will work to strengthen the agency’s cooperation with Morocco as the country pursues its ambitious New Development Model priorities.
The leadership change comes at a pivotal moment for French-Moroccan relations, as both countries seek deeper coordination on shared development challenges.
Bonnaud brings more than three decades of international development experience to the role. A physician by training, she holds degrees from the London School of Economics, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and HEC Paris.
She fought HIV in Namibia before joining AFD in 2006, where she has led multiple divisions, including NGO Partnerships, Health and Social Protection, and regional offices in Cotonou, Jerusalem, and Beirut.
Most recently, she directed AFD’s Middle East operations.
Bertrand Poche, an engineer who specializes in energy issues, started his career at ENGIE before moving to AFD’s Indonesia office.
Back at the agency’s Paris headquarters, he oversaw infrastructure projects with strong environmental components across West Africa and Southeast Asia.
The new team plans to align AFD’s commitments with Morocco’s New Development Model priorities. These include ecological transition, sustainable water management, resilient infrastructure, sustainable mobility, and social inclusion.
The agency will adopt a renewed territorial approach and activate direct financing to regions to better support local initiatives.
Morocco ranks as AFD’s largest recipient of financing by volume, placing the country at the heart of the agency’s African strategy.
In May this year, the AFD’s former Director General Remy Rioux announced the agency is planning to make major investments of €150 million in Morocco’s southern provinces.
Through this new leadership, AFD reinforces its commitment to work alongside partners toward more sustainable, equitable, and inclusive development.
