The new loan comes amid reports that water scarcity remains one of Morocco’s most pressing challenges for the coming years.
Rabat – Morocco’s National Office for Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) is slated to receive a new €18 million loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to improve the sustainability and security of drinking water supply in several regions across Morocco.
The two parties signed the additional financing agreement on Tuesday, with Abderrahim El Hafidi, general director of ONEE, and Achraf Tarsim, the resident representative of the AfDB, signing the deal on behalf of their two institutions.
ONEE said that the additional financial assistance will contribute to financing a program aimed at improving drinking water supply in the cities of Al Hoceima, Tangier, Guercif, Beni Mellal, and Zagora.
The new contribution will be added to the €115 million loan that ONEE already got from AfDB in 2018. AfDB approved the mega loan to secure access to drinking water through investments in treatment processes and drinking water supply networks.
The project concerns the supply of raw water from the Ghriss dam to the Al Hoceima treatment station, with the operation also projected to include the supply of raw water from Ibn Battouta dam to the Marhar/ Tangier treatment station.
In a joint statement, the two institutions said the loan also seeks to strengthen water production in the Guercif region from the Targa Ou Madi dam, the treatment capacity of the Beni Mellal region, and water production in the Zagora region from the Agdz dam.
“These projects are part of the National Program for the Supply of Drinking Water and Irrigation 2020-2027 (PNAEPI),”ONEE said.
The statement also expressed satisfaction with the cooperation between ONEE and the AfDB in the drinking water and liquid sanitation sectors, with ONEE noting that this cooperation dates back to 1978 with a total financial contribution of around MAD 9 billion ($970 million)
from the AfDB.
The news comes amid reports from both the Moroccan government and independent think tanks that water scarcity remains one of Morocco’s most pressing challenges for the coming years.
A recent report from the Center of Mediterranean Integration (CMI) concluded that Morocco faces “serious challenges” in terms of water scarcity and material security.
The study also emphasized the need for the Moroccan government to redouble efforts to tackle water management and sustainable agriculture in Morocco.
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