AfDB Lends Morocco Over $200 Mln for Social & Health Services

The African Development Bank approved on Wednesday a $204 million loan to Morocco to help the North African country upgrade social and medical services provided to disabled persons, poor women and children.

The funding will finance the building of two hospitals in the southern cities of Guelmim and Ouarzazate, set up 144 units for special needs patients and modernize 100 rural health centers. These facilities will be equipped with telemedicine equipment allowing rapid and remote treatment of patients.

“Investing in this area is vital. Expanding coverage is a necessary condition for sustainable and shared growth,” said Mohamed El Azizi, AfDB Director for the North Africa region.

Morocco is the largest beneficiary of the AfDB loans. Since 1970, the North African Kingdom received $10 billion that funded energy, transport, water and socioeconomic development projects.

The Bank’s projects helped 16 million people get access to transportation infrastructure and connected nearly 7 million to the electricity grid.