The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a €100 million ($116.4 million) loan to support sustainable agriculture initiatives in Morocco.
- The African Development Bank approved a €100 million loan to support sustainable agriculture in Morocco.
- The initiative focuses on empowering women and young people while enhancing food security and resilience.
- AfDB and Morocco maintain a 50-year partnership, with investments spanning infrastructure, energy, and agriculture projects.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a €100 million ($116.4 million) loan to support sustainable agriculture initiatives in Morocco, with a focus on empowering women and young people.
Announced on Monday, the financing aims to enhance food security and build resilience among small-scale farmers in the face of climate change, the AfDB said in a statement.
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“Women who have the ambition to undertake and succeed in agriculture are our priority,” said Achraf Tarsim, the AfDB’s country manager for Morocco.
Decades-long commitment to Morocco
The loan builds on a longstanding partnership between the AfDB and Morocco. Over the past 50 years, the Bank has invested €15 billion ($17.46 billion) across 180 projects in Morocco, spanning infrastructure, energy, water, agriculture, social protection, governance, and finance.
In 2023 alone, the AfDB approved €254 million in new commitments to Morocco, including support for the country’s green transition and digital transformation goals.
Morocco’s agricultural sector accounts for roughly 12% of GDP and employs nearly 30% of the country’s workforce, according to World Bank data. However, it remains highly dependent on rainfall and faces growing risks from climate change.
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In 2022, Morocco experienced its worst drought in four decades, causing a sharp drop in cereal production, from 10.3 million tonnes in 2021 to just 3.4 million tonnes, according to Morocco’s Ministry of Agriculture.
With over 70% of Moroccan farmers being small-scale producers, many lack access to irrigation, financing, and technology, making them particularly vulnerable to weather shocks and soil degradation.
