AfDB Loans Morocco$ 88 mln to Support National Water Economy

Rabat  – The African Development Bank (AfDB) okayed for Morocco a loan of 88 million dollars (855 million dirhams) to finance the second phase of the project in support of the National Water Economy and Irrigation Program (PAPNEEI 2).

Inked on Tuesday in Rabat by economy minister Mohamed Boussaid, AfDB deputy director general for north Africa Yacine Diama Fal, in the presence of agriculture minister Aziz Akhannouch, will contribute to Morocco’s efforts to foster the agricultural sector productivity and help save agriculture water in large irrigated lands.

It will also reinforce the AfDB support mechanism for the national agriculture strategy which takes concrete substance via the funding of the second phase of the support program for reforms of the green Morocco plan and providing technical assistance for the development of irrigation infrastructure and the promotion of young agriculture entrepreneurs.

The PAPNEEI 2 will finance the setting up of infrastructure of localized irrigation in the intervention perimeters of agriculture upgrading regional offices (ORMVA) of Loukkos and Doukkala over a surface area of 26,000 ha.

Its implementation over the period of 2017-2021 will benefit 10,250 farms, that is a population of over 61,000 beneficiaries.

It is the continuation of the PAPNEEI 1which was financed by up to 53.9 mln euros (600 mln dirhams) in order to reconvert 20,000 ha in localized irrigation in the ORMVA action zones of Loukkos, Tadla and Doukkala.