German bank loans Morocco 56m USD for water projects

Signing of an agreement between Moroccos ONEE and KfW

RABAT, Dec 29 (NNN-MAP) — Germany’s state-owned KfW Development Bank and Morocco signed on Tuesday three loan agreements worth 52.6 million euros for water projects.

The agreements were signed by Abderrahim El Hafidi, general director of the state-owned Moroccan Office for Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE), and Jorg Dux, head of KfW’s water and sanitation department in North Africa.

The loan will increase and strengthen drinking water production, treatment, pumping, and transportation systems in many small and medium-sized towns, the agreement said.

It will also help improve the performance of the office’s water production facilities.

The Moroccan government plans to spend 12 billion US dollars on improving water supply to meet increasing demand, as the country faces a three-year-long drought and water shortages.

This seven-year program approved in 2020 includes building dams and desalination facilities, improving water consumption, and increasing water supply in rural areas.

In late November, the KfW agreed to deliver 165 million euros, with 150 million euros in loans and 15 million euros in grants, to finance the financial system reforms in Morocco. —